Inuyasha: A Fugitive Fairytale
by TouchofPixieDust
Summary: What's this? Kagome is a wanted criminal? This isn't an Alternate Universe? Who could want to arrest the young time traveler? Will Inuyasha be able to save her this time? Only one way to find out!
1. Wanted: Kagome Higarushi

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me. Aster and Dayandhi also belong to me. As unlikely as it would seem at first glance, this is a continuation story, not AU.

Inuyasha: A Fugitive Fairytale

Chapter One

Wanted: Kagome Higarushi

"I found her!"

"Who?"

"Kagome Higarushi!"

The man turned to the uniformed woman walking through the door, practically dancing in excitement. As usual, he had the uncontrollable urge to ruffle her unruly mass of corkscrew curls. Well, self preservation caused him to actually control the urge.. He had only given in to the temptation a handful of times. He still had the scars. He smothered a grin and looked at her with as much professionalism as he could muster.

"It's about time, Az." He paused for a moment, his tirade forgotten. Something about her was different… "Is your hair purple?"

"I keep telling you, it's ASTER. Quit shortening it, it sounds rude. And it's violet, not purple." She plopped ungracefully into the chair next to him. She pressed a series of buttons on the tablet she was holding, then tossed it to her companion. Luckily the small computer was very durable, otherwise it wouldn't last a day around her. A holographic image of a dark haired young woman wearing a green and white school uniform appeared stood on the screen. "It's her. I finally found her."

"And it only took you… how long? Over a year now?"

"Shut it, Dayandhi. Finding one girl out of the billions of people on one planet out of billions in their universe isn't exactly easy, you know." She grabbed the tablet back and studied the girl. "I deserve a freaking medal for finding her at all."

He also studied the smiling school girl in the hologram. In their line of work it wouldn't do to make any errors in identifying their target. "She doesn't seem like a hardened criminal."

Aster leaned forward and snatched the tablet out of his hands, irritably punching the button that shut off the holographic image. Dayan couldn't help but wince at the force she put into it. For being such a tiny little thing she sure packed a punch. She may look like a sweet little cherub, but she was one seriously dangerous woman. Though looking sweet and innocent (not to mention helpless) usually worked in her favor. NO one ever expected her to be potentially lethal.

"Just because you think she's cute doesn't mean that she's innocent. Don't go getting all soft on me. We need to go get her, nab her, and bring her in for trial and judgment." She looked away from him. "And possible execution."

"Az…"

"She's a wanted criminal, Dayan. Don't forget it."

Dayan sighed heavily then turned to the control panel. "Setting a course to the country of Japan on the planet Earth, Feudal Era."

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"Kagome!!! Inuyasha hit me!"

Cracking open an eye, Kagome tried to focus on the kit who was bouncing in front of her face. For the past few minutes she had been trying to ignore him, but that didn't seem to be working. It only seemed to increase the pitch and volume.

"Is it even morning yet?"

She groaned as she tried to wiggle down into her sleeping bag further to catch up on some much needed sleep. Yesterday's fight had wiped her out. She didn't know she was even capable of that much purifying power. She allowed herself a sleepy smile of pride. Her powers were definitely growing. The shocked whistle of appreciation Inuyasha accidentally let out when she obliterated nearly a dozen demons with one burst made the bone weary tiredness totally worth it.

"Kagoooomeeee!"

"Oi, let the wench sleep, runt."

Kagome smiled into her pillow as Shippo quietly (not to mention reluctantly) agreed and decided to go draw instead. Inuyasha's threat to all who dared bug her nearly made her laugh. Not wanting to encourage death threats, she tried to keep her laughter silent. She enjoyed the warmth of her sleeping bag, and felt incredibly lazy and spoiled as she lay there listening to Sango and Miroku whisper among themselves and go about fixing their own breakfasts and make plans for the day. She enjoyed listening to Shippo play with Kirara, asking her what color she liked best for the guts coming out of the demon Inuyasha just slaughtered. They decided that green and maroon were the best colors to use for the drawing. And she really enjoyed knowing that Inuyasha was less than a foot away, keeping guard over her.

It was a good day.

She yawned and stretched, deciding it was time to come out of her warm cocoon. Today was the perfect day. Nothing could go wrong when you woke up feeling that good. Tired, but good.

"What is the plan for the day?" she asked sleepily, looking upwards at the hanyou hovering protectively over her.

"We're doing it."

"Hmm?"

He reached down and pulled the covers back up to her chin. "Get some rest, wench."

She turned on her side and sat up. He wasn't just being nice. He was worried. It warmed her heart that he cared. Even if he couldn't say it with the others within earshot. His eyes told her everything.

"I'm fine, Inuyasha. Just a little tired." She stretched again, humming at how good it felt to stretch her still sore muscles. "And hungry."

"Hey brat! Bring Kagome some food!" There was a slight pause as he looked to see that his orders were being carried out. "Not that stuff! Get her the good stuff. The energy bars at the bottom of her bag. Three of them! And don't make a mess!"

Without so much as a thank you, the dog demon grabbed the bars from the kit.

"I got 'em for you, Kagome! They're your favorite ones!"

Maybe once upon a time they were her favorite, but she was getting kind of sick of energy bars. What she really wanted was a nice juicy artery clogging cholesterol riddled greasy burger and fries. Mmmm. And maybe a shake. But of course she wasn't about to tell the kit that.

"Thanks, Shippo."

"Eat all three. You need your energy."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Mom."

Golden eyes went wide with panic. His hand was at her head feeling for a fever. "We need to get her to Kaede," he yelled to the group, a frantic Shippo alternating between feeling her pulse and patting her hand. "She's hallucinating! Hurry!"

Yeesh. Talk about over reacting.

"No. Inuyasha, I was just being sarcast… put me down!" She huffed as he cradled her in his arms, sleeping bag and all, and prepared to run. "I was just being sarcastic. I wasn't hallucinating. I'm fine. Please calm down!"

"Kagome Higurashi?"

Kagome froze, her hands still on Inuyasha's shoulders as she tried to push him away. Within the space of a heartbeat she was looking at the back of Inuyasha's robes as he stood in front of her protectively with his sword raised. Inuyasha's ears were flicking in every direction, trying to locate more intruders.

How had anyone sneaked up on them?

"What do you want with Kagome?" Inuyasha snarled.

Sango and Miroku jumped to their feet. Sango grabbed her weapon and Miroku raised his staff. Kirara roared as she grew into her giant demon cat form. Shippo jumped on Kagome's shoulder. To protect her of course.

Kagome peeked at the intruders from behind her guardian. The sleeping bag fell to the ground around her ankles, causing her to lose her balance. She held on to the fire rate robe for balance as she kicked it off of her feet. She had a bad feeling she would need the use of her feet.

There was a man and a woman. The man was fairly tall, with a lean build. His hair was pale yellow and rather shaggy looking, but in a touseled sort of way, not an unkempt way. His eyes, even from as far away as she was she could tell, were bright blue. Similar to Kouga's. But this man was not wearing a smile. Neither was his purple haired companion. She was a good bit shorter than the man with curly (and purple) hair that brushed her shoulders. She would have been pretty cute if she wasn't scowling at them and had a weapon (was that a gun?) pointed at them.

But her friends didn't know about guns, did they?

"What do you want?" she demanded. Inuyasha's outstretched arm kept her from coming all the way around to confront them.

The man looked at her and raised his own weapon, causing Inuyasha to growl. He may not know what a gun is, but pointing ANYTHING at Kagome was never a good idea.

"Kagome Higurashi," the man said. "You are under arrest for crimes against the universal Law of Time. You have the right to remain silent, but failing to mention any facts in your defense may be treated as evidence against you in the Court. If you wish to speak, anything you say may be given as evidence in the Court. A representative will be assigned to you once you have been processed." He paused and gave her a sympathetic look. "Though I must warn you Ms. Higurashi, the evidence against you is overwhelming. You have two minutes to say good-bye to your friends. Your family will be notified."

Kagome's mouth was still open as she looked at the intruder in shock. She was being arrested?

"What?"

"You're being arrested, girl. Say good-bye so we can get out of this place."

Kagome scowled at the rude female. Was she some sort of Trekkie? Her outfit sure suggested it. Actually, they were both looking like they were on their way to a Sci-Fi convention. Did they come through the well also?

"You ain't taking Kagome nowhere!" snarled Inuyasha.

The woman pointed her weapon at Inuyasha, who ignored Kagome's whispered warnings. "Sure we are. She's our prisoner. She'll be executed after the trial for crimes against the Laws of Time." She cringed at her own words, then turned to the prisoner in question. "Sorry, kid."

"Laws of Time? What are you talking about?"

The man sighed, but still didn't lower his gun (phaser maybe?) from Inuyasha. "Time traveling without a license. Knowingly changing history by changing the past. We're here to bring you to trial for your crimes. And they are real strict on the Time Laws, so I wouldn't count on ever coming back."

"I will kill you if you lay one hand on Kagome," the dog demon swore. "Slowly and painfully. Leave now if you want to keep your lives."

The purple haired girl glanced over at her companion and nodded. Quickly she turned her weapon at Sango and fired, quickly shooting Miroku next before anyone could blink. Then Kirara. It happened so fast that Kagome didn't even have time to scream out a warning. Inuyasha was zapped the same time as Miroku fell. Kagome stood trembling as he dropped to the ground in front of her.

"Run, Shippo," she whispered to the kit. "Run and get Kaede. You have to save them."

But he wasn't quite fast enough, and the strange woman was much too good of a shot. Kagome cried out in horror as Shippo's fleeing body hit the ground with a soft thud. He was so still… they were all lying so still. Her heart clenched painfully, and it felt as if her soul was being ripped from her body. Tears streamed down her face as she turned to their attackers.

Oh, but they were not tears of sorrow. It was pure anger that coursed through her body.

"HOW DARE YOU!"

She felt her body pulsataing with energy. She didn't know if it worked on humans, but she was about to find out. Turning her murderous gaze to the woman who shot her friends, Kagome raised her hand and prepared to send every ounce of energy she had to hopefully incinerate the human, even though she had precious little energy to spare.

Before Kagome could send off a blast, she was knocked off her feet. When the pain in her head and the stars she saw cleared, she realized that there was a rather heavy body lying on top of hers. The man may look lean, but considering how much he weighed it must be all muscle, Kagome thought bitterly as she squirmed and fought, trying to bite and kick and scratch anything within reach.

"Sorry about that, miss," he said, although he didn't move off of her. In fact, he took the opportunity to grab hold of her hands and pin them to her sides. "But we have to take you in."

His companion spoke up, her voice not quite so apologetic. "You broke the law. You are much too dangerous to be running around between times. You are changing history, and that can not be tolerated." She held up a hand and shook her head when Kagome tried to defend herself. "It doesn't matter if you meant to or not. Traveling through time and CHANGING things is wrong. One wrong move and you could accidently wipe out an entire race. Tell me, Miss Higarushi, just how many demons are there in your time now?"

"I… uh… I…"

"Hmmm. Think maybe all this demon slaying might be the reason why? Wiping out an entire species? Several species really. What makes you think that you should be allowed to change the natural order of things? As it is, it will take us months to clean up the mess you made. Do you know how long it will take to wipe the memory of you from every person whose life you've touched? In BOTH times! Do you know how big of a headache that is?"

The grumbling woman was still complaining about headaches as she pulled out a small item that looked a whole lot like Kagome's little brothers hand held game machine, the one with the flip top. Souta… they were planning to wipe her from his memory too. From her whole family!

"I'll go ahead and wipe her from the memory of these guys. She won't be so much a dream by the time I get done with them. It will at least contain the damage until we can get back for clean up."

"They… they aren't dead?" She almost wept in relief.

The woman looked at her in disgust. "Me? A murderer? No way, kid. I uphold the Law. I don't break it." She tossed an odd looking device to the man who was now sitting on her lower back. "We're about ready to go, Dayan. Wrap her up and get back on the ship."

A loud roar made everyone jump. Then suddenly Kagome was free.

Quickly she rolled away from her spot and scrambled to her feet. Glancing to her right she saw Inuyasha trying to claw her male captor. Surprisingly, the man was able to fend off the hanyou. Of course, he was unable to get in any shots of his own since he had to devote all of his attention to blocking those claws. The woman was frantically looking for a shot. Kagome bent down and rushed her like a linebacker. The woman let out a squeal as she hit the ground. She tried to take the weapon from her hand, but the woman fought to keep control of it. Left with no other alternative in fighting fairly (the woman was obviously much more experienced in hand to hand combat), Kagome sank her teeth into the woman's arm and grabbed the weapon.

Well, she thought she grabbed the weapon. Instead she found herself holding the small computer. She was snatched from behind before she had a chance to study it. The wall of red let her know that Inuyasha was once again her protective shield.

"She has the Tripper," the woman hissed to the man trying to stand back up. "You have to get it back, Dayan. Hurry."

"I'm a bit busy trying to make sure I still have all my important limbs. Why don't you get it back?"

"I'm the brains, you idiot! Not the muscle."

She straightened her shoulders and took aim again. Just because she didn't enjoy fighting didn't mean that she couldn't. Besides, she smiled to herself, there are more important qualities than simply brawn. Az may not be the muscle, but no one was as accurate or as quick on the draw as she was. She got off two shots in rapid succession, though both were deflected by Inuyasha's sword. As he was fending off a third shot, the man began shooting from behind. It took four hits to bring Inuyasha to his knees. It all happened so fast that the miko barely could register what had happened. When she saw him on the ground, she knew what she had to do.

At least she hoped she knew what she was doing.

"Stay back!" Kagome yelled as she backed up, moving away from Inuyasha. Hopefully they would concentrate on her and leave him alone. He would get his bearings and save the day. She just needed to buy him some time. "Both of you! I'll destroy this if you don't."

Dayan shrugged, wincing at the pain in his ribs and stomach as he did. "Big deal. It's company property. We'll just get another."

Kagome's hands tightened on the machine, her gambit wasn't paying off. She was startled out of her feelings of dread when it made a cute little chirping noise, causing their two attackers to freeze in place. Their eyes widened in horror as the machine seemed to come to life in her hands. She probably would have been frightened if she wasn't so angry. She took another step back as Az and Dayan ran towards her, but they were too slow.

It felt a little like static shock. Her body buzzed with energy. A slightly familiar energy, similar to the feeling she got when she jumped through the well. Then she was falling.

"Kagome!" screamed Inuyasha as he lunged for her.

In the blink of an eye, Kagome and Inuyasha had disappeared.

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Author's Notes:

This story will be several chapters long. Usually I have an outline of where I want a story to go, but for this one I'm making an exception. I know where it is going, but how many side trips it takes to get there is wholly dependant upon if I think there is another fun chapter to do.

Constructive criticism is always appreciated (how else would a writer improve?), but flames are good for nothing but toasting marshmallows (oooh, and chocolate fondue!).


	2. Mayhem in the Makai

Disclaimer Part I: The characters of Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me. Aster and Dayandhi also belong to me. As unlikely as it would seem at first glance, this is a continuation story, not AU.

Inuyasha: A Fugitive Fairytale

Chapter Two

Mayhem in the Makai

"I don't care if the world is going to explode! You're getting in there and taking that test!"

"No way. I got better things to do."

The girl crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. "Oh yeah?" She paused in mid rant and looked at him curiously. "_IS_ the world going to explode?"

"No."

"Are demons going to invade and take over the world?"

He scratched his head and thought. "I don't think so."

"Is the Apocalypse on the horizon?"

"Uh… no?"

"Then you march yourself down those stairs right this instant and go take that make up test before they fail you, Yusuke Urameshi!"

"No can do, Keiko. We've got company, and leavin' would just be rude, wouldn't it?"

The girl looked around, startled. Letting out a strangled sound she stepped backwards as a young man and woman appeared out of no where. From the looks of it, it was some sort of demon attacking a school girl. Luckily Yusuke was already on his feet and charging his spirit gun, ready to blast the demon into dust. Keiko prepared to help get the girl out of harms way as soon as Yusuke fired.

It was a bit of a surprise to see a demon attack on top of the school building. Usually he got at least a little bit of warning. Oh well, as far as Yusuke was concerned, fighting off demons was much preferable to taking tests. And it was one excuse that would keep Keiko from going ballistic.

Nothing was scarier than a ticked off Keiko.

Not even fighting a demon.

Or a whole horde of them for that matter.

Taking down one puny little demon would be no problem. Though maybe he could draw it out for awhile. At least until class ended. Now, if only the girl would get out of the way so he could get a clear shot… Hmmm… he was still covering her, and now was looking directly at him and Keiko. Yusuke's eyes narrowed. No one threatens Keiko!

"I'm your opponent, Cat-boy."

The obviously traumatized school girl looked up at him, then at her attacker. Then she repeated the word 'cat-boy' and started giggling. Poor thing. Maybe after he disposed of the demon she could go get counseling or something. It was just wrong to go around breaking pretty little school girls. Yusuke winced at his thoughts, then slid a glance to his girlfriend (though neither would admit to the relationship) to make sure that he hadn't voiced that last part out loud. Nope. Looked like he was safe.

"Don't worry, I'll save you."

The demon looked around, then looked at the defenseless girl, then back at Yusuke. When he did, he looked very angry. Oh well, that worked too. Angry demons were more fun to obliterate anyhow. Made it more of a challenge.

"Be careful, Yusuke!"

"CAT-boy!" The girl was still giggling.

"It ain't THAT funny, Kagome," the demon growled.

The demon began to stand, giving Yusuke the perfect opportunity to blast him. He gathered his energy and pointed his spirit gun (his finger) at the demon's chest.

"Yusuke! Wait!"

He cursed as Keiko grabbed onto his arm. It caused his shot to veer way off to the right. What was she thinking? She knew better than to get in the line of fire!

"Sorry," she apologized, "But I have a feeling they know each other."

Yusuke wondered if he had spoken his thoughts out loud or if she was just apologizing for messing up his shot. Then he noticed the girl, no longer giggling (but was still grinning), stand up and stand beside the demon. The smile faded as she looked around, and her hand grasped the cloth of the demon's funny looking red sleeve.

"Inuyasha… where are we?" She looked scared, but not of the demon.

"You know each other?" Yusuke asked as he lowered his hand.

"Yes." She looked back at them and gave them a nervous smile. "My name is Kagome, and this is my friend Inuyasha."

"The DOG demon," Inuyasha grunted.

"I'm Keiko, and this is Yusuke. Sorry for attacking like that. Yusuke tends to jump in without thinking things through."

"HEY!"

Kagome grinned. "Yeah? I know someone with that very same problem."

"HEY!"

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"Have you located them yet, Az?"

The young woman turned her head, one eyebrow arched. "Yes. Of course I have. Finding out just where and when they would have jumped to was simple. Took seconds really. I just decided to keep that information for myself and see if you've suddenly acquired mind reading powers."

Dayan bit his lip to keep from smiling. Her sarcastic tone was biting. Her eyes lit with fire. Teaming up with her may have been dangerous for his health, but he had never had so much fun before. The other officers were very crisp and very professional. Not to mention _very_ boring. Aster was just as competent as the others, but didn't seem to take life quite so seriously. Plus she was fun to rile up.

"Yeah, well," he sat down beside her in his own chair and began fiddling with the controls (it was something to focus on instead of looking at his companion since he seemed incapable of keeping a straight face), "If SOMEONE hadn't let a little girl just take their Tripper…"

"MY FAULT?" she screeched, jumping to her feet and pointing angrily at him. "You're blaming this on ME? Who's the one who let some kid beat them in a wrestling match!"

"KID? He was a demon, Az! A demon!"

"Half," she sniffed.

"What?"

"Half demon, according to my information."

Dayan closed his eyes and counted to ten. Six times. It didn't help. He opened his eyes and glared at his partner. Once she realized that he was truly angry at her, she adopted the cute innocent look that usually got her out of scrapes. But he was too irritated to fall for it this time.

"You didn't feel the need to share that information with me BEFORE he attacked?"

"Heh… surprise…"

"You could have gotten me KILLED!" He stood up and slammed his hands down on the control panel, narrowly missing all those important buttons. This time he didn't have to feign anger.

She stood up and put her hands on her hips haughtily, but since she only reached his shoulders it didn't have quite the same intimidating effect. "I figured the EARS were a tip off!"

They glowered at each other for a few minutes, then both looked away.

"Just find them," Dayan snapped before he left to head back to his quarters on the ship.

As brilliant as his partner was, there were times when she was just too scatterbrained. Cuteness must be the defense mechanism Mother Nature gave her so that other people wouldn't kill her. And at the moment, Dayan wasn't too sure that even her curly haired cuteness would keep him from letting loose his temper. No one had wanted to partner with the girl, and now he knew why. Aster just did not play well with others. Lack of communication could get someone killed.

Like him.

He took two steps and sighed.

Dang it.

He couldn't even stay angry for two lousy steps.

He almost turned around and went back in to apologize for losing his temper. Then he grinned. Maybe he would just let her stew for a little bit. Putting his hands in his pocket he whistled as he made his way down to his quarters.

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"Quit smellin' her before I rip your head off your shoulders."

"Inuyasha… be nice."

"And back off! Get your grubby nose out of her hair!"

Kagome smiled apologetically to the young man who was smiling apologetically to her. At least the red head had the sense to raise his hands as a gesture of surrender and backed up two spaces from her.

"I do apologize, Higurashi. I had not meant to invade your personal space. Yoko, the fox demon that Yusuke spoke of earlier," Kagome didn't miss the slight look of censure sent in the other man's direction for spilling his secrets to relative strangers, "He is very interested in the scent of fox demon that seems to linger on your clothing."

"No problem, Kurama. And please, call me Kagome."

"STOP SMELLING HER CLOTHES!"

"Inuyasha!"

The dog demon crouched down on his haunches just in case she decided to 'sit' him. They had been here for nearly a week and so far no one here knew of that little trick of hers, and he hoped it stayed that way. There were too many of them here that were strong to show any trace of weakness. And too many of them seemed interested in his miko.

Kurama, the scrawny red haired guy claimed that the fox demon living inside of him was interested in the smell coming from Kagome. But Inuyasha wasn't an idiot. He saw the way that his eyes lit up when he was around her. He also noticed the change in posture and scent. Kurama was being way too friendly, and more than once suggested that he'd like to talk with Kagome. And Inuyasha knew what kind of 'talking' that would be. The kind of talking that tried to convince his poor gullible miko to give him up to go with this stranger and have fox babies of their own! Well, no sir! That wasn't going to happen! Not while he had a single breath left in his body!

And that shrimpy guy, Hiei. Another demon who found Kagome too interesting. He looked like he wasn't interested in anything or anyone, but he kept throwing glances in her direction when he thought no one was noticing him. The little twerp! If he didn't know better, he'd think that Hiei was deliberately sending flirty looks at Kagome just to make him and the red head mad.

Luckily the spirit detective (what the heck was that?) Yusuke had that girl Keiko to keep him in line, so Inuyasha didn't have to worry about him much.

That giant Kuwabara was of no consequence, either. He was too busy making eyes at that little ice demon girl (what was her name? Yukina?) to take more than a second glance at Kagome. Now how could an ice demon and a fire demon be so closely related? Inuyasha would have asked if he had cared, but he was too busy trying to keep these guys from hitting on Kagome or causing trouble. Like that Botan person.

First of all, Botan wasn't even really alive! But after hearing their story, she was asking too many questions about Kikyo and was upsetting Kagome. He hoped he wouldn't have to cut her down to shut her up. If it wasn't for that little kid Koenma hanging around with her, he probably would have done just that. He'd hate to have to kill her in front of the kid. Not that he wouldn't if it came down to that, but Kagome would probably get mad if he did.

"Please be nice."

The words may have been a request, but Inuyasha knew a command when he heard it. And though he'd much rather fight, he didn't necessarily want to fight with Kagome. Not when they were so very far from home. To make matters worse, they had slipped through some sort of portal into another world within that world called the Makai. It was full of demons. It wasn't like in Kagome's world where he had to hide the fact that he's a demon, or like in his own world where being a demon caused fear and loathing. In the Makai no one even gave him a second glance. Still, it made him uneasy. If they stepped through too many portals, would they ever find their way home?

"Keh."

Yusuke and Kuwabara were talking about a tournament that they were going to enter. Inuyasha wasn't interested in fighting for sport, though. He had enough problems without taking more on just for 'fun'. That cowardly fox demon hiding in human skin was going to fight with them too, along with the shrimpy one. Now, if he were able to fight against them, then maybe it would be worth it. But according to them, the team has to have four people. Not that he needed two extra people. Oh well, didn't matter. He was hoping to get out of this place with Kagome soon.

Of course, they still needed to figure out how that magic box worked first.

"Why don't you fight in the tourney, too?" Yusuke asked.

"You said you have to have four. In case you can't count, there's only two."

"Two?" asked Kuwabara. He looked around the area, confirming Inuyasha's belief that there was nothing going on in that big head of his.

The tricky fox turned his eyes to Kagome and _really_ looked at her, making Inuyasha growl. Then he had the NERVE to turn back to him and glare! At HIM!

"Surely you do not mean, Hig… Kagome."

Inuyasha's nerves were frazzled. What he really wanted to do was fight. Having his relationship with Kagome questioned raised his hackles. It was only when he felt her warm hand at his elbow that he was able to relax.

"We fight together." She turned and smiled up at Inuyasha, calming him a little bit more. "Though he does most of the fighting. I use my bow, so I'm usually off at a bit of a distance when at all possible."

"You let Kagome fight?"

Inuyasha almost smirked as he heard the stupid fox speak one of Kagome's least favorite words. 'Let."

"Inuyasha does not LET me do anything," she snapped as her aura began to flare.

She reached for her bow, but realized it wasn't there. Of course, Inuyasha didn't believe that she would actually fry her new friends (though he hoped she would, especially that fox that was trying to woo her away from him with his stupid good manners and manipulative NICEness). Likely she was just going to make a point that she had powers of her own. Sadly, once she realized she had no weapon, the aura died down and she began to gain control of her anger.

Dang it.

"The girl has impressive psychic powers," the baby said around the thing stuck in his mouth. What did Kagome call it? Oh yeah, a pacifier. "Perhaps she would make a good addition to the team!"

"No!" Inuyasha growled as he used one arm to place Kagome behind him.

"No!" exclaimed Kurama.

Inuyasha glared at the young man. "What? Why not?"

Kurama turned his infuriatingly calm eyes on Inuyasha. "It is too dangerous for her."

"Too dangerous for Kagome? You saying she ain't good enough for you?"

Inuyasha heard Kagome sigh and step back. She went to go stand with the girl Keiko and the ice demon Yukina. One of them asked if she really did participate in fights. With her in a safe area, he drew his sword and crouched down into the position to prepare for attack.

"No one insults Kagome."

His rival barely had time to blink in confusion before the dog demon leapt into the air with an angry war cry. His startling response was to throw a rose at him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the giant create a sword out of nothing to stand at Kurama's side. Yusuke was still napping, and Hiei was leaning against a tree watching. The rose skimmed his cheek and blood flew. It was sharp as a knife! What kind of freaky weirdness was this? Then again, it wasn't the oddest weapon ever used against him.

"I am offended that you would imply that I would say anything derogatory in regards to Miss Higurashi."

"Fancy words won't save your skin, fox!"

Inuyasha landed swinging his sword, but the fox jumped out of the way, throwing more seeds at him. He had expected the coward to only have illusion powers like Shippo, but this guy seemed to have a whole different set of skills. No matter, Inuyasha knew he could still take him down.

But Kurama wasn't alone. Kuwabara started raising his own sword to charge, but was stopped by Kagome standing in front of him.

"How does the sword work?" she asked him innocently as she plucked the sword from his hands to study it a little bit closer.

Inuyasha almost smiled. Leave it to Kagome to find a way to take out one of the opponents with just words. The big man scratched his head in embarrassed pride and tried to explain how his weapon worked. There wasn't time for more than a brief glance since those harmless looking seeds sprouted into some sort of demonic plant that was intent on eating him.

Interesting.

Inuyasha cracked his knuckles and smirked. _This is gonna be fun._

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"Got them!"

Dayan nearly fell out of his bunk as Aster's scream startled him awake. "Huh?"

"Come on, come on! Let's go! They slipped dimensions and are now in a place called the Makai. Get a move on!"

Dayan yawned and took the computer she was shoving at him as she ripped his blanket away from him and tossed it on the floor. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes he looked at the images of the fugitive and her new companions. Did she have to make so many friends? It was going to be a pain erasing all those memories. Az would be complaining for months over it. He studied the hologram again, then had an idea that nearly made him let out an evil snicker. Maybe he could have a little fun.

"Alright, but this time it would be wise if we dressed more accordingly."

As expected, Aster's hands went up to her hair protectively. "I like this color of green! It's pretty! I'm not changing it!"

Dayan went to the computer built into the wall and began inputting information. "I'm not talking about the hair, Az. Remind me to ask you later what possessed you to color it green. I'm talking about the clothes. We need to fit in while we hunt, otherwise we're too noticeable and it gives them too much of a advantage. Our clothes were the thing to make the girl suspicious of us. We need to blend in."

One final tap of the computer and he found himself wearing a green uniform similar to Yusuke's. Then he began inputting more information. The machine whirred briefly and the particles in Aster's clothes realigned themselves to the configuration he input.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"No."

"But a sailor uniform?"

Dayan kept his eyes on the computer to hide his merriment. He would have to make sure that he captured holographic images of this for later. Talk about great blackmail material. "The other girls are wearing school uniforms. You have to wear one as well if we're to blend in."

"But the skirts are so short!"

"Are they? I hadn't noticed."

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"You really do fight then?"

Kagome nodded as she took a sip from the can of soda Keiko had given her earlier. What was up with Inuyasha picking a fight with Kurama? Again. Maybe he just had to blow off a little steam. After all, the last week had been rather boring, aside from the fact that they were trapped who knows where. They had tagged along on a couple of demon hunts, but that was it. Inuyasha was used to being on the move, not sticking around in one place for long periods of time. But without any idea of where (or when) they were, it felt safest to stay near where they had first appeared. However, since her beloved dog demon was only moments away from a boredom meltdown, Kagome had asked if they could see the Makai for themselves.

"Yup. I use a bow and arrow."

"Sounds dangerous," Botan commented as she reached for another of the snacks in the basket.

"Isn't it perilous for a female to fight?" asked Yukina.

Kagome laughed, glad for this impromptu picnic, even if it was in the middle of some sort of odd demon world. "Well, fighting is always dangerous. But being a woman doesn't make you weak. My friend Sango is a demon exterminator, and probably the strongest human fighter I know. And all without any special super powers or psychic energy. She's really amazing."

Keiko pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. She laid her head on her knees and looked at her boyfriend who was sleeping a few yards away.

"I never considered… fighting." She hummed thoughtfully. "It would be nice to be able to actually help Yusuke. Always being rescued makes me feel…"

"Helpless?" suggested Yukina.

"Useless?" Botan asked.

"Weak."

Kagome put her hand on her new friend's shoulder. She knew what it felt like to feel weak and helpless and useless. And guilty. Very very guilty. How many times had Inuyasha been hurt saving her? Even now, without her bow and arrows, she felt weak and helpless. Having a weapon like Kuwabara's would be perfect. She would never be without her weapons then. He had explained how he did it, but some of it just didn't make sense. But maybe… maybe she could figure out something similar…

"Maybe I should help out Kurama."

Kagome shook her head. "Not necessary, Kuwabara. Inuyasha isn't really fighting him. They're just sparring." She looked over at the two. At least, she was pretty sure that they were just sparring. Just sparring… enthusiastically.

Suddenly Keiko leapt to her feet, her hands clenched in fists. Kagome noticed that Yusuke's eyelid cracked open a fraction. He may look sound asleep, but he was still keeping an eye on Keiko. The thought made her smile and she turned her head to look at her hanyou fighting before giving her attention back to her new friend.

"I'm not going to just sit idly by and watch anymore," the girl swore. "I'm going to learn to fight!" She turned to look at her sleeping companion. "It may take me a long time, but I swear that I won't rest until I'm strong enough to fight by his side."

Yukina clapped her hands at the vow. "Oh Keiko! How wonderful!" Botan cheered along.

"Yes, wonderful."

Kagome gasped at the male voice behind her.

Those two odd characters were back, but this time they were dressed like Yusuke and HER? She didn't recognize them. But she did recognize the weapons pointed in her direction.

"Kagome Higurashi," the man said. "You're under arrest for crimes against the universal Law of Time. You have the right to remain silent, but failing to mention any facts in your defense may be treated as evidence against you in the Court. If you wish to speak, anything you say may be given as evidence in the Court. A representative will be assigned to you once you have been processed. You are also under arrest for theft of Law of Time property and assault on an officer. If you come along peacefully we will not have to use lethal force."

"Lethal force?" squeaked Yukina.

"I'll protect you!" Kuwabara placed himself in front of the petite ice demon.

"Step away from the perp," The female said coldly as she raised her weapon and pointed it at Kagome.

The miko breathed a sigh of relief as Inuyasha appeared in front of her. Kurama was almost instantly by his side. Yusuke had woken up and was holding his hand as if it was a toy gun, Botan was standing on one side of him holding her broom like a bat, and Keiko on the other side looking unsure of how she should be standing if she was going to participate in a fight. Koenma was no where to be seen, and Hiei stood off by himself simply watching. Though the fire demon may look like he didn't care about what was going on, Kagome knew that he would step in and toast them if he was needed. It felt like she had an army between her and the two time police officers.

"Kagome ain't going nowhere with you," Inuyasha snarled.

The machine they called a Tripper started humming. Kagome took it out of her pocket and opened it. Lights were flashing and words she didn't understand started zipping across the screen. Then the screen went black, but only for a moment before a map appeared in 3-D in front of her.

She couldn't stop herself. It was human curiosity. She touched the hologram.

Her body began to buzz, and once again there was the feeling of falling. Instinctively she reached out and grabbed a hold of Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha!"

Kagome tried to call out to her new friends, but she was engulfed in darkness. She prayed that Inuyasha was with her.

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Okay.

The girl was gone, and they were outnumbered.

Aster bit her lip and surveyed the group and went over their options. Either clean up the mess her and start erasing memories, or jump after Kagome. Quickly she did a mind scan and future probability inspection, checking to see just how much damage the girl had done. What things had she changed irrevocably by her presence?

Ice demon. Few changes in her present or future brought about directly by contact with Kagome. Kagome was merely an interesting companion. But not someone who changed her life. Much. Other changes that Kagome brought out in other people will make Yukina more confident in herself.

Fire demon. Few changes in his present or future brought about directly by contact with Kagome. Kagome was interesting to him because she was interesting to the fox demon. But his life was not changed by her.

Grim Reaper. Few changes in her present or future brought about directly by contact with Kagome. Lingering crush on Yusuke dies out and she focuses her attention onto her boss.

Kuwabara. Few changes in his present or future brought about directly by contact with Kagome. However, with Yukina's new sense of confidence, Kuwabara sees her less as a girl to be protected, and more as a woman. This knowledge changes his behavior and gains Yukina's notice.

Koenma. Few changes in his present or future brought about directly by contact with Kagome. Though how she came to appear on this world interested him, he was not so interested that he would take any unusual or life changing steps.

Yusuke and Keiko. And there was the problem. Kagome showed Keiko that a woman can fight beside the man she loves, making them partners. And the talk of Sango, who had no special powers whatsoever! That really got the girl thinking. Keiko would begin taking self-defense courses. Over time she would convince her overly protective boy-friend and his friends to teach her how to fight. She and Yusuke would learn to work together. And although she may rarely be on the front lines, she could still hold her own, and Yusuke would not have to worry about her nearly as much. In fact, knowledge that she would be able to take care of herself and anyone else who came along, got him to think about marriage and children years earlier than the original time line.

Big changes.

Big big changes.

But….

Aster glanced over at her partner. He looked amused, but that was nothing new. Would he say anything is she let this go, just this one time, without erasing the memories? Would she get in trouble? Fired? JAILED? She rubbed at her lip as she went over their futures one more time.

Years of heartache for Keiko as she waited for Yusuke as he trained and fought instead of taking her with him. Feelings of weakness as she hid during each battle or cheered from the sidelines, instead of feeling strong and capable. Feeling useless instead of vital. If she wiped away Kagome's existence from their minds, Yusuke would break his engagement to Keiko. Twice. It would be because he loved her and feared for her safety being married to someone like him. More heartache. Sure they would end up married either way, but…

Dayan cleared his throat, looking at the Tripper he held in his hands.

"Az, if we hurry we'll be able to catch up with them."

Aster looked at the angry group one more time. Then she smiled.

Catching Kagome was their first priority. Right? And surely they can't expect her to get around to erasing ALL the memories. Right? What's one little oversight in the grand scheme of things? She'd just make sure that the next time she caught up to Kagome and Inuyasha that they would do an extra thorough job of mind wiping.

"Let's get out of here, Dayandhi."

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Disclaimer Part II: The characters of Yu Yu Hakusho belong to Yoshihiro Togashi, not me.

Author's Notes:

Sorry about any grammatical errors (and misspelling Kagome's last name). I don't have anyone beta-ing, proofing, or editing. It's just me and my trusty ol' sidekick Spell Check. I catch what I can, but I don't always catch everything.

Also, I meant absolutely nothing bad by saying Trekkie. I grew up on Sci Fi and loved it. I understand the correct terminology is Trekker though. Sorry about that too.

And last but not least, please understand that views held of certain characters in the story do not belong to me, but to the other characters. It isn't my fault Inuyasha has jealousy issues.

Okay, I think that was all my apologies and explanations. C'yall next time!


	3. Its In The Cards

Disclaimer Part I: The characters of Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me. Aster and Dayandhi also belong to me. As unlikely as it would seem at first glance, this is a continuation story, not AU.

Inuyasha: A Fugitive Fairytale

Chapter Three

It's In The Cards

"I said no."

"Pleeease?"

"No."

"But it's a battle, Inuyasha. Surely you don't want to walk away from a battle!"

Inuyasha snorted rudely and crossed his arms stubbornly. "Dancin' around on a bunch of arrows ain't no battle, Kagome. It ain't even dancing!"

She sighed and turned from him. "Have it your way."

Actually, if he was really able to have his way, they wouldn't be in this stupid arcade. And Kagome certainly wouldn't be up on that stage moving around to the obnoxiously loud music while a bunch of human boys gawked at her. It was a full time job keeping those letches from looking up her skirt while she jumped around. If he had his way, he wouldn't be wearing this stupid handkerchief over her head. Of course, the look when he snatched it off that big kids head was priceless. Apparently this Bandit Someone-er-other bully wasn't used to people who fought back. If he had his way, he'd be joining the boys in preparing for the battle they kept talking about, and not being dragged around by a bunch of girls who wore even shorter skirts than Kagome. However, nothing on the earth (wherever that might actually be) was going to separate him from the miko. His heart still clenched in terror as he recalled how very close he was to not grabbing her in time as the machine dragged them to a new world.

So, no. In no way at all was he actually getting his way.

"Wow, Anzu," gasped Kagome as the song ended and she caught her breath. "I can't believe I've never played this kind of game before! It's fun!"

"I'm so glad you like it! Would you like to play again?"

"No." This, of course, did not come from Kagome. They had already danced to five songs, and a hanyou only has so much patience. "I want to get out of this place and I want to eat."

"Spoilsport," Kagome grumbled. The complaint held no heat, and she gave him a smile as she left the dance game.

Anzu smiled warmly at them both. "I'm a little hungry too. Let's go grab a burger. Then we can catch up to the guys before the battle actually begins."

Inuyasha's ears perked up. Food and fighting? The day was looking better.

They began walking down the street to the burger joint that their newest friend had told them about earlier, Burger World. The food tasted just the same as it did in Kagome's world. In fact, when they first arrived here, they thought that it might be the very same world. They met Anzu (well, they appeared right before her so she ran smack into them as she was running to her dance class) who told them all about Domino City, a place Kagome never heard of before, when they said they were from out of town. Kagome had told her that they were lost (true) on a spontaneous adventure (true-ish) of a lifetime, but that we had a couple people tracking us down to make us go home (not quite true, they were trying to make Kagome go to jail). The dancing girl thought that it was romantic and was suckered into giving them a place to stay since her parents were out of town.

At night, when Anzu would go to bed, Kagome would open the window and whisper with Inuyasha, who would sneak outside to sleep in the tree. Thank goodness so many people built their homes around trees! Sometimes she would try to use her powers and create a bow out of energy. Inuyasha liked watching her do that. She would concentrate so hard, and power would seem to zip around everywhere, but she couldn't produce so much as an arrow shaft. Sometimes he'd offer suggestions. Occasionally he'd even offer suggestions he thought might actually work.

They had only arrived a few days ago, but still had no luck figuring out how the Tripper (that is what they called it wasn't it?) worked. So far nothing. They were still clueless about the odd machine.

"Right?"

Inuyasha blinked at Kagome's question. He hadn't been paying attention. His brain had started thinking of other things once the girls started chatting about girly things. Admit he wasn't paying attention to them or just agree?

"Sure."

Kagome beamed at him. He hoped he didn't just agree to something horrendous.

"Then let's get going!" cheered Anzu as she jumped to her feet.

Inuyasha wondered what in the heck he just agreed to as he and Kagome followed close behind. He half listened to Kagome's new friend chat about her own friends and about something called Duel Monsters and the battle her friend Yugi was fighting against some villain named Kaiba. Kagome asked Anzu if she'd like them to help fight against Kaiba.

"You two battle?"

"All the time," Kagome smiled.

"Are you any good?"

"None better," bragged Inuyasha.

"Did you bring your cards with you?"

Inuyasha was confused about the quick change of topic. Cards? Weren't they just talking about battling? Oh well, maybe she just had some sort of attention span problem. Cards huh? He looked at Kagome and she shook her head. Her yellow backpack had been left behind, and she had very little in her pockets. Not that pockets in a skirt like that actually held much to begin with. It was almost if they were added but not meant to be used. Now THAT made no sense at all.

"Our cards got left behind," Kagome told her sadly.

Inuyasha knew she was thinking about what all else was left behind. He hated that small catch in her voice that said she was keeping back tears. She missed her friends and she missed her family, though she never told him so. She didn't want to add another burden to his shoulders. He promised her that he would find a way to get her back home. Somehow…

"That's okay," Anzu said as she pat her on the shoulder. "We can buy you a new deck, maybe even pick up a few extra special cards."

Of course Kagome tried to politely refuse, but her new friend was determined to replace her cards and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. They wound up at her friend Yugi's grandfather's card shop. Anzu chatted with the owner as he and Kagome looked at cards. He had never seen anything quite like them before, and apparently, neither had Kagome. They let Yugi's grandfather and Anzu pick out most of the cards. Kagome picked out ones she thought looked pretty or cute, and Inuyasha picked up some that had some wicked looking weapons. Their choices were met with nods of approval.

As Anzu haggled for a good price, Inuyasha whispered to Kagome, "How do you play with things?"

Kagome shrugged. "I don't know, but they sure are pretty."

"Oh! The time!" Anzu took off running. "Hurry! It is about to start!"

Inuyasha loped along beside Kagome as she ran. It would have been a whole lot easier to pick her up and run, but they had agreed to not draw any attention to themselves if they could help it. Slow humans. It was difficult to keep his pace slow.

Eventually (EVENTUALLY! Slow humans!) they arrived at the center of town where a large group of people had gathered. Immediately Inuyasha went into protective mode. It proved to be a nearly impossible task to keep anyone from touching Kagome. He wanted to just pick her up and leap onto one of those tall buildings, but one look from the miko turned that idea to dust. Luckily his menacing looks and growls kept most people at a bit of a distance.

When they caught up with Anzu, she was standing before four boys and two girls. Introductions weren't really needed, since they had been described earlier during lunch. The blonde boy with the shaggy hair was Katsuya Jounouchi. It was even easier to tell once he opened his mouth. The girl standing next to him must be his sister, their scents were similar, which meant she was Shizuka Jounouchi. The blonde woman with the big hair who wore way too much perfume was Mai…. Mai something. The boy with the… is that thing on top of his head hair? It had to be that Honda guy, no one else had hair shaped quite like that. The one with long white hair, shaggier than his own, stood off to the side a little. It must be Ryou Bakura. Anzu didn't have a whole lot to say about him, she was keeping secrets about him. Inuyasha shrugged, it wasn't like he cared what secrets any of them had. He wasn't planning on staying long enough to even bother remembering their names.

The final kid… hmmm… he was a stumper. The black, blonde, and burgundy colors sounded a lot like the Yugi person Anzu kept yapping about, but surely this little kid wasn't old enough to be the champion. He looked so young and innocent that he probably couldn't battle against a squirrel and win. Heck, he was barely eye level at… Inuyasha growled and clenched his fist as he noticed just where the kid was eye level at when looking at Kagome. Did he really think the kid was innocent?

"Hi guys!" Anzu chirped cheerfully. "I want you to meet my new friends, Kagome and Inuyasha. They are on a journey! I've invited them to stay with me for a few days while they take a rest for a bit. Kagome, Inuyasha, these are my friends! Katsuya, Shizuka, Honda, Mai, Ryou, and Yugi." Guess the kid really was Yugi. "They are going to battle today too!"

Inuyasha surveyed the group as they welcomed Kagome and him, though he tried to make it plenty clear that he wasn't interested in conversation. There was something weird about these guys. The three girls were nothing special, neither were Honda or Katsuya. But something was definitely off about Yugi and Ryou. Something odd about their scents. Their auras. He wondered if Kagome felt it as well. Nah, she was too busy making friendls with the natives.

It irritated him how easily these strangers became her friends. She shouldn't trust so easily. It wasn't jealousy. It wasn't! He didn't need any more friends. He had Kagome. And back home he had Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kirara, and Kaede. He had plenty! But Kagome… she was always willing to make room for one more. How much can the human heart hold? Would some of them get lost… or forgotten?

Inuyasha watched carefully as these strangers looked at Kagome and welcomed her. He hated all of them.

Mai looked her over, then dismissed her. It was as if Kagome wasn't competition or a threat, or worthy. She went back to shuffling her own deck of scented cards.

Shizuka greeted her with a warm tone, but it lacked any real warmth. Now, SHE did see Kagome as some sort of competition. Though it was uncertain who the girl felt she was competing for. Her brother's attention or that Honda kid's? Or was it just for the attention in general?

Honda and Katsuya both looked at her in a way that was going to get them killed if they didn't stop soon. They were both loud and boastful. They reminded him a bit of that flea bitten wolf Kouga, which wasn't good for them!

Yugi was pleasant enough, but still looking at Kagome too much for his own good. It was lucky that he was more distracted by Anzu, who only had eyes for Yugi.

Now Ryou… he was the biggest problem. It was difficult to decipher the look, but only because he seemed to be looking at her in two different ways at once. It didn't really make any sense. Part of him looked polite and quiet, and the other part looked… hungry. This one was going to be the biggest problem.

Kagome greeted them all in return, but when her eyes reached the tall boy with white hair they stopped. And widened just a fraction. Inuyasha heard her heart speed up just a bit. For a moment he was stricken with blinding fury, then he realized that she was noticing that there was something wrong with his aura. Her smile was slightly forced, and she hesitated for a fraction of a moment before letting him take her hand.

"Nice to make your acquaintance, Kagome." He smiled. "And yours as well, Inuyasha."

"Nice to meet you too, Ryou."

Yes, this one he would have to watch carefully.

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"Hey! I got her!"

"Right," Dayan yawned.

"I really do this time."

Turning down the music he had playing, Dayandhi looked over at the readings on the screen. Sure enough, they had a lead. Drat. The mission was going to be ending soon. And that meant that there was the possibility of reassignment.

"Hey, Dayan," she said in a soft voice. It was almost a whisper.

"Hmm?"

"I've got this feeling." Ducking her head down she tried to hide the fact that her eyes were darting around the cabin.

"Az?"

"It feels like we're being watched."

His spine stiffened. With Aster, it was a bad idea to ignore her 'feelings'. They were usually right. With a short nod he let her know that he understood. Was someone on the ship with them? The scanners would have picked up an intruder though and set off the alarms. He double checked the computers, but came up with nothing.

Picking up his weapon he decided to physically check each corner of the ship.

"Stay here, Az. Keep us on course, I'm just going to take a look around."

Just as the scanners told him, there seemed to be nothing unusual on the ship. However, Aster's words had his skin prickling. Slowly and carefully he made his way back to where he'd left his partner, suddenly uneasy about being separated.

"Find anything?" she asked as soon as he walked into the cabin.

"Nope. How long until we land?"

"Not soon enough," she muttered under her breath. Dayan would have been amused if he hadn't been thinking the exact same thing. Something was wrong.

But what?

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It was entirely possibly that Anzu was insane.

The girl had been laughing in near hysterics every since Inuyasha won the battle. Of course it wasn't much of a battle. Kagome didn't think that the Kaiba person put up much of a fight. One punch and he was out like a light. Heck, SHE would have beaten him in a battle. _Poor Inuyasha,_ Kagome sighed, _he must be so disappointed._

"Is she broken?"

Kagome shrugged at Inuyasha's question.

The young man named Ryou grabbed her by the hand, which he quickly removed once Inuyasha growled. Instead he gestured towards them to follow. Considering how everyone was making such a big fuss over one little punch, Kagome felt it wouldn't hurt to get out of the place and let things calm down.

Once they rounded the corner, their guide stopped. He was a handsome young man, but there was something about him that was very strange. It was like he had two different auras. One was a calming blue, and the other was black laced with violet. An imbalance. It felt as if… as if there was something else there seeking something.

Sensing auras was one of the first things she became sensitive to once she began using her latent miko powers, thanks to the jewel. Seeing auras was something a bit more difficult, and interpreting was confusing as well. But with this person, the feelings were very strong. She wasn't sure if it was because she was getting better at it, or if he was just projecting REALLY loudly.

"I am afraid you just made a powerful enemy," he told them with his warm voice. It reminded her of chocolate. Ah, and his accent… she could listen to him for days, even if he just read the phone book.

"But… everyone battles," protested Kagome. "Isn't that what everyone was there for?"

Ryou laughed. Ah, even his laugh sounded nice. "We duel with cards, I am afraid, not with our fists."

"With… cards?"

"Like the ones your friend is holding rather tightly."

Kagome looked over at Inuyasha, who looked like he was ready to murder the boy in front of them. Sheesh. It took all her effort not to roll her eyes at the blatant display of jealousy. So she liked his voice, big deal. Gently she put her hand on Inuyasha's, hoping to remind him that she was there with HIM. She reached to take the cards from him, then realized that the cards were probably the only thing keeping him from reaching for his sword. She let him keep them.

"So it's just a card game?"

"In a matter of speaking."

She smiled. "You sure take the game seriously."

"I am afraid we do." He showed her his deck. "Each deck is carefully chosen by the player. In most cases the cards reflect the player, as well."

Kagome looked through the cards, a little disturbed by how many of them were demonic looking. They looked a lot deadlier than the pretty and cute ones she chose. One glance at Inuyasha let her know that he noticed the cards too. Just when she was about to give him back the cards and back away slowly, she noticed one card that seemed different.

"It is my favorite card. It is the "Change of Heart" card."

"Half demon?"

"Yes. And half angel. Half evil and half good. It allows me to take control of any of the monsters on the field."

Half evil and half good? Is this the card that represents him? Is there evil in such a sweet boy? Is that why his aura is so conflicted. But how? Why?

"You… can control any of the monsters?" Her palms were getting sweaty, and she wasn't sure why. She held the card to her chest, trying to calm her suddenly pounding heart.

"Yes," he smirked as he leaned a little closer. "I am very fond of control."

Kagome took a step back, Inuyasha was quick to step between them.

"Er… Ryou… are you okay?" she asked.

"Call me Bakura."

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The girl was interesting.

And most girls did not interest Bakura at all. They were silly, flighty things. Untrusting and untrustworthy. Deceitful and docile. Vicious and cruel. Weak and pathetic. Confusing creatures.

His vessel, his light, thought this girl was sweet and charming, but he knew that the creature in red next to her was highly jealous, and he was not about to do anything to upset them. Luckily, Bakura had no problems with that. In fact, it would be interesting to see just what this thing could do.

It wasn't human. If he didn't know better, he'd think that it was one of the Duel Monsters come to life. Perhaps he would fight him in the Shadow Realm. Or maybe keep him as an action figure. And keep the girl as a doll.

The girl though… there was something about her. Something powerful. It was delicious.

"Call me Bakura."

It was time to let them know that they weren't dealing with his weaker half. Ryou was trapped safely away, though he could still hear him pounding at his psychic cell demanding he leave them alone. It always frightened and worried his light to be locked away, especially since he was blind to everything Bakura did, unless Bakura chose to let him see.

"B…Bakura?"

The creature drew a sword. A SWORD! Right there in the middle of Battle City. The conversation just got a little more interesting.

"Get away from Kagome!"

"Such a rude thing you are." He smiled in mock politeness. "Perhaps it is time I taught you a lesson in manners."

Using the magic of the Millennium ring hanging around his neck, Bakura opened the Shadow Realm. Everything in existence disappeared, except for him, the creature, and the girl. This was his world. This is where he ruled supreme. The first thing he did was discard the silly rag on Inuyasha's head that he had stolen from that simpleton, Bandit Keith.

Ears.

On top of his head.

Dog ears perhaps? It would make sense considering that the creature seemed awfully fond of growling and snarling.

Bakura grinned. And sniffing. The creature was actually sniffing the air and the ground. He really was a dog. Or part of a dog. He seemed more and more like a card come to life, especially holding that ridiculously large sword. Too bad for him that it would do him no good here. He could turn the sword to pudding if he wished it. In fact… wouldn't that just drive the creature insane…

There! A sword no more substantial than pudding.

…

…

…

What?

How very strange.

It didn't change.

Narrowing his eyes, Bakura studied the sword and its wielder. How was it possible that it was not obeying his command? He tried again and once more met with failure.

"What is he doing?" the girl whispered.

"Dunno," the dog whispered back. "Maybe everyone here is just weird."

Bakura tried to turn the annoying beast into a puppet, but that didn't work either. He grasped onto his Millennium Ring. Surely it had not lost its power. He changed the world around him to a graveyard. He was relieved when he was instantly surrounded by tombstones and ghosts. The girl's squeal of terror amused him, as did the creature's curses and attempts to protect his companion from every direction. Then Bakura changed the entire world to one of a giant game board. This time the girl squeaked. Very interesting. He controlled everything… except for them. There was only one question to be answered.

Which one was the one keeping him from controlling them?

"What manner of creature are you?" he asked the beast.

"Ain't none of your business."

"Are you a dog? Or a demon?"

The girl nearly erupted in a glow of pink rage. Pink rage. How unusual. She got more interesting by the moment. So, she didn't like anyone being rude to it. Maybe it was her pet. A guard dog of sorts.

"I'm a dog demon." The creature glanced back at the girl. "A hanyou, half demon."

It stood taller, as if inviting a fight. But Bakura was no longer interested in the half demon. What was interesting was why the two were traveling together. That they seemed to be… friends.

With a thought and a wave of his hand, Bakura sent Inuyasha back into the real world, leaving the girl with him. It was time they had an uninterrupted chat.

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"KAGOME!"

Inuyasha screamed her name as she disappeared from his sight. Frantically he searched for her, but all he found was an empty alley where they had been before Ryou… Bakura… whoever he was did whatever mojo magic he did. Now Kagome was trapped! Alone. Defenseless. WHERE WAS SHE?

If he touched her… If he touched a hair on her head… If he even BREATHED on her…

"Inuyasha?"

He would rip him apart limb from limb in the most painful way possible. Then he'd show him his own beating heart before…

"Inuyasha? Where's Kagome?" Inuyasha turned towards the soft voice.

"Ryou… Bakura…" How could he possibly explain what happened? It just wasn't believable!

Anzu's eyes softened and she reached out a consoling hand, which he flinched away from. He was certain to hurt the girl if she got too close. The sound of running feet approached, her friends were coming. Inuyasha ignored them to try and catch Kagome's scent, to hear her voice.

What if… what if they were separated? For good? What if the stupid machine she held took her far away without him? What if she was… gone?

"What happened?" asked Yugi.

"Bakura. I think he took Kagome to the Shadow Realm."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. Maybe it wasn't such an impossible explanation after all. The note of fear in Anzu's voice let him know that she was afraid. What would possess them to allow Kagome near a dangerous person!?! He would kill every single one of them for the part they played in this if Kagome was harmed in any way.

"Fear not, my friend, we will save her."

Huh?

Inuyasha looked over at the short kid. He was a little surprised to see that not only had Yugi's voice deepened, but he grew almost half a foot! Was he some sort of demon?

Anzu noticed his inspection and cleared her throat. "Inuyasha, this may be a bit… um… complicated," she began to explain. "But this is the pharaoh, Atemu. He is Yugi's Yami. A spirit that…"

"Don't care. Do you know how to get to Kagome?"

Anzu and Atemu looked at each other, then back at Inuyasha. "You don't care that there's an ancient Egypitian spirit living ins..?"

"Look," Inuyasha bit out rudely, standing to his full height and towering over the humans. "I only care about Kagome. Either help or get out of my way." Inuyasha was about to use his sword to attempt to break the barrier, assuming that it was a barrier keeping them apart, when he was interrupted once again.

"You guys having a party?"

He really was going to snap soon. These people just needed to leave him alone so he could find Kagome and get out of this place. He turned to snarl at the newcomer, and did a double take.

"Kouga?"

What was that stinkin' wolf doing here? Wait. No. This one had green eyes, not blue.

"Ryuji Otogi, creator of Dungeon Dice. Who are you?"

Another game?

Dancing on lighted arrows. Playing cards in Duel Monsters. Dungeon Dice. Didn't these people have WORK to do? Was the whole society based on games? Sure he always enjoyed it when Kagome would play games with him, or bring games from the future for them all to play with, but this was something else! Arg! He needed to get Kagome and get out of this place.

While Anzu tried to shoo off Otogi, Atemu started talking over possibilities of contacting Bakura to challenge him to some sort of game to get back Kagome's soul.

"Her soul?"

"Yes. You see, Bakura has her soul trapped within the Shadow…"

Inuyasha was barely listening as Yugi, or was it Atemu now, explained about how Bakura trapped souls. How does one woman's soul always seem to end up in such trouble? Even Kikyo still held on to a part of Kagome's soul. A soul was such an insubstantial thing, funny how Kagome's was always getting taken or lost or trapped. Souls were so much more difficult to protect. He wiped his hand over his face, wishing he knew what to do. Wishing he had Sango's assurances that they would find Kagome. Wishing he had Miroku's calm council. Even having Shippo to annoy him and to keep him from breaking down at the thought of a Kagome-less life would have helped. He inhaled deeply, trying to find a measure of calm to make a rational decision. Cutting up the alley had not achieved any results. Well, besides a little therapeutic destruction. He inhaled again and cursed.

"What do you want?"

"Oh." The man sounded a little startled. Inuyasha grimly wondered if he had forgotten that he was a half demon and had very good hearing. "We are here to arrest Kagome. But she seems to have disappeared off our scanners. Completely." The man looked at him strangely. Accusingly? "Where is she?"

"Not you, you idiot." Inuyasha looked beyond the two time police officers. "What are YOU doing here?"

Slowly the two officers looked behind them, jumping when they noticed the young man standing behind them.

"What a nice surprise running into you here," the red head smiled. Then he frowned. "Where is Kagome?"

"Kagome ain't none of your business, fox boy. Go on home." It was one thing accepting help from the game obsessed freaks here. It was something entirely having a rival help. How the heck did Kurama get here anyhow? Must've tagged along with those annoying time police.

"Have you lost her?" The tone seemed polite, but Inuyasha knew an accusation when he heard one.

"I didn't LOSE her."

The dog demon growled as the young man pulled a rose from his hair. It was a threat, and they both knew it. Inuyasha drew his sword. The girl and the pharaoh began pleading with him not to fight, especially with an unarmed man. Couldn't they just settle this with a game? Feh.

"You think YOU have it bad? You're only looking for a few measley Mellinium objects. I have to scour all of Japan for hundreds of teeny tiny jewel fragments!"

Inuyasha stopped growling and spun around as he heard a familiar voice.

"Kagome?"

She waved cheerfully. "Sorry to be so late. It's easy to lose track of time in there. You wouldn't believe the things…"

Her words were cut off as Inuyasha threw her over his shoulder and began backing away from the group with his sword drawn.

"Kagome Higurashi," Dayan said wearily. "You're under arrest for crimes against the universal Law of Time. You have the right to remain silent, but failing to mention any facts in your defense may be treated as evidence against you in the Court. Hey! Pay attention here." He shook his head as Kagome struggled to be set down. "If you wish to speak, anything you say may be given as evidence in the Court. A representative will be assigned to you once you have been processed. You are also under arrest for theft of Law of Time property and assault on an officer. If you come along peacefully we will not have to use lethal force."

"Law of Time?" questioned Atemu.

"Lethal force?" asked Bakura with narrowed eyes. "On Kagome?"

Inuyasha wasn't sure he liked the jerk acting protectively towards HIS miko. He would have made it clear just who Kagome belonged to if she hadn't made a squeaking sound. He turned his head just in time to see her smile.

She was holding the Tripper, and it was active.

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"KAGOME!" cried Anzu. "What did you do with Kagome and Inuyasha?"

"We demand answers."

"We doing a mind wipe, Az? Make up your mind pretty quick."

Aster quickly scanned the future as Dayan held off their would be interrogators/torturers.

Mai. No changes in her present or future brought about directly by contact with Kagome. She has already forgotten about her.

Katsuya. No changes in his present or future brought about directly by contact with Kagome. She was just another random girl he thought was good looking.

Shizuka. No changes in her present or future brought about directly by contact with Kagome. She has already forgotten about her.

Honda. No changes in his present or future brought about directly by contact with Kagome.

Otogi. No changes in his present or future brought about directly by contact with Kagome. He barely caught a glance of her.

Ryou. No changes in his present or future brought about directly by contact with Kagome.

Yugi. No changes in his present or future brought about directly by contact with Kagome.

Anzu. No changes in his present or future brought about directly by contact with Kagome.

No changes?

Aster started punching in the new coordinates, remembering at the last moment that they had a tag along guest. Wait… where was Kurama?

"Perhaps I should ask the questions, pharaoh," Bakura suggested as he withdrew a knife. Anzu put her hand on his arm to stop him.

Then the future changed.

Bakura looks at Anzu and sees in her someone who reminded him of Kagome. She was kind and warm. She had plenty of love to give, and was always giving. She was devoted and loyal to those she cared for. She was accepting. Anzu looks at Bakura and sees someone who is strong and determined. He was capable of friendship. He was capable of caring. He was hurt, and searching desperately for something just out of his reach. It touched her heart. They become friends that same day.

Over the months they become good friends. And then more.

Her friends become upset and distant. Bakura questions why she must always cheerlead for them when they do not come to cheerlead for her. Katsuya and Honda refuse to speak to her. Their friendship with Yugi crumbles when he can not choose sides. Depression keeps Yugi from participating in any more battles. Bakura no longer feels the need to search for the Mellinium items and Malik finds them instead.

Kaiba and Malik fight for dominance, which destroys most of the city.

Aster closes her mind to the rest of the story. Things would go from bad to worse. Except for Bakura and Anzu. They would eventually move as they followed her dream of dancing. Bakura's dream became Anzu. She was his and his alone, and she was his willingly, not a thing he had to steal.

"Time to erase Kagome," she sighed. This was what she hated most, having to decide whose happiness was most important.

She started with Ryou, then Anzu. Then slowly all of Battle City would forget about Kagome and Inuyasha.

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Bakura watched in growing anger as he watched from the soul room inside of Ryou. No one controlled Bakura.

No one.

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Disclaimer Part II: The characters of Yu-Gi-Oh belong to Kazuki Takahashi, not me.

Author's Notes:

Thanks very much to everyone who reviewed. I hope you liked this chapter. I'm working on the next one as we speak (though I had my computer die of old age this past weekend, so it may be slower going).

Also, very special thanks to Kiterie for proof reading for me and offering such great suggestions to improve the grammar.


	4. X Marks the Spot

Disclaimer Part I: The characters of Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me. Aster and Dayandhi also belong to me. As unlikely as it would seem at first glance, this is a continuation story, not AU.

Inuyasha: A Fugitive Fairytale

Chapter Four

X Marks the Spot

"Oro?"

Kagome's head hit the ground with a thump as her hanyou pillow disappeared. It was perfectly innocent. The ground was cold and hard, and they had no shelter, so they slept under a tree. Inuyasha had allowed her to use his arm as a pillow. Perfectly innocent. Honest. Dreams had while sleeping didn't count. The sound of a sword being drawn made her forget all about her bumpy wake up call.

"What?"

She would have liked to have said that she jumped to her feet and quickly took her place to defend Inuyasha's back. However, the ground ha been very hard and every bone and muscle in her body screamed in protest as she slowly pulled herself to a sitting position. She peered around Inuyasha's red clad leg and saw… a girl samurai? Wait, no, he was a male, a pretty one. Kurama?

Were they back in the Feudal age?

"What do you want?" demanded the hanyou.

"This one is coming back from the market and merely wishes to inquire on the young lady's health." Nope, not Kurama. Though this guy had the same… delicate look to him. Even his choice of clothing was pink and white. With wide eyes of amethyst, he looked kind and gentle, even carrying that deadly looking sword. The only thing that brought even the slightest doubt to his aura of innocence and peace was that an X on his cheek. A cross shaped scar, maybe.

Kagome, realizing she was the young lady in question, managed to defy gravity and force her body into an upright position. She really wanted a nice comfy mattress. Maybe a nice long soak in a hot spring. Or hot tub. A masseuse would be nice too.

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Yeah, she's fine. Get out of here."

"Inuyasha!"

"What? I don't trust him."

Inuyasha did not lower his sword. Though the red haired man had his own sword at his side, he did not draw it. Kagome had a feeling that the trust issue went both ways. The samurai may be smiling gently, but she could tell that his eyes were calculating something. Then she realized that Inuyasha's ears were no longer covered.

Oops.

Before she could make up an excuse for the ears, she saw the fuzzy things twitch at the very same time the odd lavender eyes of the samurai flicked to the left. Kagome watched as the small, delicate looking man suddenly seemed a lot bigger now that he went into protective mode. Looking past him she saw a beautiful young woman, probably only a year or two older than herself, trotting towards them.

"Kenshin!"

"Stay back, Kaoru-dono!"

The woman froze in place. Kagome smiled at her and gave a small wave. The woman waved back. Then she glared at the samurai.

"Kenshin, you baka!" The woman clobbered him over the head with a wooden stick, a bokken if Kagome recalled correctly, then came forward and gave a bow. "I am so sorry for Kenshin's lack of hospitality. You must be travelers."

"Yes," Kagome said, trying not to laugh at the understatement, "We are." Boy were they.

"Would you like to come inside and rest for a bit? My home is just around the bend. Breakfast will be ready soon."

Kagome hesitated. She wasn't sure how she felt about a bokken carrying woman in a kimono who could knock out a samurai with one whack.

"Perhaps a warm bath?"

"YES! Thanks!"

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Kenshin did not trust the demon. Not around his home. And most especially not around Kaoru. He was dangerous! But Kaoru, sweet, trusting Kaoru… she invited the creature into her home. He would not go against her wishes, but he would not let this Inuyasha creature harm a hair on her head! Not one hair!

And the girl.

Oh, the poor girl.

Was she in trouble? Possessed? A victim of mind control? Was she being threatened or blackmailed? Why else would such an innocent be traveling with a monster? And what happened to her kimono? Were they attacked and her clothes were stolen? Perhaps she could borrow something from Kaoru to cover up properly.

Or… or was the demon keeping her in such revealing clothing for some nefarious purpose?

"Who is the girl to you?"

The demon narrowed his eyes at him. Kenshin could feel the waves of hostility. It took all of his self control to keep from drawing his sword. Kaoru was his first priority, but if this poor girl needed protection, he would offer it.

"What's it to you?" came the rude reply. Fangs! The creature has fangs!

"This one was merely curious." He would have to be careful. He did not wish to fight unless it was a last resort.

"Be curious about something else."

"This one wonders how long you have traveled with the girl."

The creature actually snarled! Then he banged on the door of the bathhouse and yelled at the poor girl to hurry, cursing most foul. Kenshin was about to remind the demon that his language around a lady was intolerable. He was not above teaching him manners. Painfully if need be. Certainly he would not be using that sort of language while in Kaoru's home, that he would not.

"InuYASHA!" Kenshin froze at the girl's threatening tone. "If you don't give me ten more minutes of peace, I WILL make you regret it."

The creature's ears flattened back and he dropped down into a crouch. Sulking?

"Feh."

Kenshin smiled warmly and relaxed. It looked as if the girl did not need his protection after all.

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"I never thought I'd live the day to see Inuyasha doing laundry."

Kaoru smiled at the girl over her tea. Kagome was an interesting girl. She seemed more at ease and comfortable in her odd looking shirt and the impossibly short skirt than she was in a kimono. She seemed to be constantly adjusting her seat, trying to become more comfortable. But, Kaoru noticed with pride, she seemed to be fascinated with the patterns in the silk.

"It does not seem as if he ever used a wash tub before," she commented to her new friend as they watched the men from the porch. "Though it looked as if he were going to pounce on Kenshin when he offered to wash your clothes while he washed mine."

Kagome shook her head and mumbled something about jealousy over the weirdest things. Then she turned and smiled.

"So, Kenshin lives here, too?"

Blushing, Kaoru waved her hands, as if waving away accusations. "Yes, but it's not how you think!" All too often she heard the whispers of what people thought of the samurai who lived in her dojo with her. Of course she ignored them as best she could. "Kenshin and Yahiko both live here. Kenshin was a wandering swordsman and Yahiko lost his family. Together we're a family of sorts. But there is nothing improper between me and Kenshin!" Dang it.

Kagome sighed. "Nothing improper with me and Inuyasha either."

Kaoru laughed at her tone. The girl sounded just as disappointed as she felt. She decided that she had found a friend. And friends were something that Kaoru had so very few of. Megumi, the doctor, didn't count. She was more of a rival for Kenshin's affections. Yahiko was more of a brother than a friend. And Sanosuke, the fighter for hire, was more of a moocher than anything else. The closest she had to a friend was a ninja girl named Misao. But she lived so far away…

"Are you a ninja?"

Kagome looked surprised at the question. "Me? A ninja? No." She laughed merrily before asking, "Why?"

"A friend of mine is a ninja, and she is the only one I have seen who wears clothes… of a similar length as you. I thought perhaps you might be a ninja as well."

"Not a ninja, but I do fight. Sort of. I use a bow and arrow!" She looked across at the half demon who was cursing at the soap bubbles popping in his eyes. Kaoru pretended not to hear. "Inuyasha is the fighter. He and my other friends do most of the fighting. But I do my part in battle, too."

"You wish you could do more."

It wasn't a question. Kaoru could see that the girl wished she could do more. Hmmm… Maybe…

"I teach the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū fighting style. My father was the one who developed it. After his death, I began teaching in his place. It is a style meant to protect. Would you like to learn?"

"You'd teach me to fight?"

Kaoru nodded. "Yes."

"With a sword?"

"With a bokken," she corrected the surprised girl.

"A wooden sword?"

"Yes. Don't worry," Kaoru grinned at her doubtful tone, "It is more dangerous than it looks. Yahiko is in the dojo practicing right now, but he will be leaving for town in a few minutes. I will show you a few defensive moves." She smiled as she stood up. "Of course, if you really want to become a student, it will require a lot of hard work."

As Kagome stood to join her, Kaoru noticed that her companion's attention was fully on them both, then just as quickly he was back to swearing at the laundry. A part of her wished there had been a bigger reaction from the silver haired man when Kagome came out wearing the finest kimono and obi that Kaoru owned. She had even put the girl's hair up with one of her mother's combs. No reaction! Nothing! Even _Kenshin_ had more of a reaction that their unusual guest! And his was a simple, kind smile.

Perhaps they _were_ truly just companions.

Friends.

How very sad. It was obvious that the poor girl was in love with him, but he takes so little notice of her. If only… if only she knew more about what it took to win a man's heart then she could help her friend. More? How about ANYTHING at all? She was still trying to figure out how to make Kenshin look at her as a woman, instead of a friend. A companion.

Poor Kagome.

Heck. Poor Kaoru.

If only she knew what to do.

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"Are you sure that we're alone?"

Dayan's eyebrows rose dramatically. Surely she wasn't asking what he thought she was asking. Was she? He cleared his throat and sat straighter in his chair. Then slumped down a bit so he wouldn't look like he was overly interested. Then sat back up so he didn't look like a slob.

"Um… alone?"

"That Kurama guy. I didn't see him leave with the perpetrators, but I didn't see him come back on board. And the sensors aren't picking anything up either."

Aster rechecked the sensors and Dayan slumped back in his seat.

"Maybe he decided to stay in Dynamo," he suggested

"Domino."

"Mm."

"Where is he? We can't just go taking people from one world and dropping them in another! Imagine the damage! Imagine all the work erasing all those memories! This is a disaster! We HAVE to find him! They are going to FIRE us Dayan! FIRE! I've never been fired from anything in my life! We need to get Kagome, then drop the stowaway back where he belongs and erase his memory." She slammed her fist into the wall. "We have to fix this!"

Dayan nodded. She did, after all, have a point. "Ok, Az. I'll look for Kurama, and you concentrate on tracking down Kagome."

"So, you _are_ hunting Kagome."

Aster and Dayan looked up into the doorway to see a figure standing in the shadows.

"Kurama?"

The man stepped forward.

"Guess again."

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"KAGOME!"

Kagome looked up to find Inuyasha bursting through the dojo doors. Hot on his heels was the red haired samurai. Kenshin flew in front of Kaoru as Inuyasha inserted himself between the two women.

"This one requests that you lower your weapon," suggested Kenshin in a tone that was deceptively soft. Was that a flash of gold in his eyes? Wait… his eyes… they were so different from earlier. Sharp and angular. Deadly. In fact, his whole demeanor went from soft to sharp.

"She was attacking Kagome!"

"Lower your weapon."

"Inuyasha," Kagome put her hand on his sleeve, "its okay. Kaoru was just going to show me some moves. She wasn't going to hurt me." The sword didn't waver. "Inuyasha… please."

"What kind of moves?"

Kaoru shoved Kenshin irritably as she came from behind him. "Kenshin! Baka! Be nice to our guests!"

"He raised his sword against you, Kaoru-dono. This one will not allow…"

"Kenshin…" Kagome recognized that tone. It was the same way she said Inuyasha's name right before she sat him.

"Really, everything is fine. No harm no foul!" Kagome didn't want Kenshin in trouble. It was actually very sweet that he would go up against someone as obviously powerful as Inuyasha. The red head may be a samurai, but he sure was a dainty looking one.

"Feh." Inuyasha slid his sword back into his scabbard. "Why would you want to learn to sword fight anyhow? You already have a weapon."

Kagome looked down at her hand, the one not holding the bokken. She missed having her bow. With all the strange places they have gone to, and who knows where they might end up next, she felt defenseless. She closed her fist and concentrated sending her magic into her palm. So far she had only been able to create a slight image of an arrowhead, though that may have been her imagination.

"My weapon is back home. I need something to fight with." She opened her fist and the arrowhead disintegrated into pink sparkles.

"Fight?" Kenshin and Kaoru said at the same time.

"Um… yeah." She turned to Inuyasha, who seemed bored with the whole conversation. In fact, he was more interesting in checking out the wooden sword she was holding. She handed it to him and warned him to be careful. She didn't want any of Kaoru's possessions broken.

"You allow Kagome-dono to fight?"

Allow?

ALLOW?

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Well, at least Kagome got to meet Megumi when the doctor came over to patch up her poor Kenshin.

She should be angrier with the girl for blasting Kenshin through the door of her dojo. But the girl had been so contrite over the damage she did that it was too difficult to stay angry at her. Besides… it was an amazing thing to see. It was like magic! And magic was something she hadn't believed in since she was a young child.

Kaoru continued looking through the trunk in hopes that Misao left one of her outfits here. Kagome refused to wear the training gi and hamaka that she had offered her. The girl had murmured something about a person named Kikyo and eyed the clothes with a lowered head. The sadness in her eyes as she looked over at her dog eared companion had Kaoru scrambling to find something else to wear. The kimono she was currently wearing was a little dirty and a bit torn after… well… after she demonstrated just why she was 'allowed' to fight.

The girl had strength. With a little training and discipline, she might be a force to reckon with. Even for the man-slayer, the Battousai. Poor Kenshin.

Kaoru smiled as her fingers touched slightly rough blue fabric. She found an outfit of Misao's after all. The short leggings would be perfect for Kagome, since it was about the same length as the skirt she arrived in. It allowed for greater maneuverability, she supposed. Kaoru shook out the clothes to help get rid of any wrinkles.

Misao was a fighter.

Kagome was a fighter.

SHE taught swordsmanship. She was strong. She was skilled. Yes, she was more concerned about defense… but surely she should be able to fight as well. Why not?

And was it really easier to fight in clothes that revealed so much leg?

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"This is an official star cruiser," Aster snarled, "NOT an intergalactic taxi service."

Kurama smiled pleasantly from his seat at the war room table and Bakura smirked. Oh how she'd love to blast them both out into space. The trouble they were causing her! Ahhh! It made her crazy! They really were making her job more difficult than it had to be. Too bad there were laws against what she'd _really_ like to do to them.

"Once we apprehend the fugitive, the two of you will be returned to your homes and your memories erased. If you attempt to escape or interfere, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Kurama leaned forward and smiled at her with that irritating calmness. He smelled like roses. "Then would it not be easier to simply erase Kagome's memories instead of imprison or prosecute her?"

"Er…" She looked at Dayandhi, but he just shrugged at her. "Look, our orders are to bring her in. So we're bringing her in."

"Is that so?" asked Bakura.

He was a suspicious character. Aster was certain that he should be locked up, but there were no warrants out for him. And she looked. It sure would be nice to find a way to wipe that smug smile from his face though.

She snarled at them one more time before stomping out of the room.

Why didn't they order her to simply erase the girl's memories?

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Her laugh had always been something special. He loved it. It filled his heart with warmth and joy. And as if by magic, it was a light that would chase away all the dark shadows from his life.

That moment, he growled, he would gladly throttle his miko just to shut her up.

Oh okay, he wouldn't really. He'd really like to throw insults at her. Usually she'd get mad and hop down the well until she's cooled off. It gave him time away from the havoc she created in his body. His heart would get all fluttery, his stomach sick, his skin feverish, not to mention other parts that reacted. If he didn't know better, he'd think he was allergic to Kagome!

But there was no well for her to jump down to take her safely back to her mother's home. And there was no way he was letting her out of his sight (bathhouse not included, but he guarded that door like a snarling demon) while they were in a strange country. Or time. Or was it world? Grrrrr! So confusing!

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha," she said as she wiped tears from her eyes, "But I…" She burst out laughing again.

The dog demon was torn between wanting to see just what that punk Sano did to his hair to hide his ears. There was a good reason his friend's called him Chicken Head. He reached up and touched the spiky hair.

"It looks fine," Kagome tried to assure him with a grin. "And it really…" snort "… hides your ears well."

He sighed. She was getting way too much amusement out of this. Then again, it was nice to hear her laugh.

"Let's just get going."

Almost bouncing in merriment, Kagome fell into step beside him as they followed Kenshin, Kaoru, Sano, and the little brat Yahiko back from town. Bet he thinks twice before insulting Kagome again, smirked Inuyasha. Luckily it hadn't taken Kagome long to forgive him for taking a couple swipes at the kid.

"This is kinda fun," she admitted as they walked. "Though I feel a little guilty saying that. I mean, the others must be worried sick!"

"Keh. If they even remember us."

He was sorry he said it as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Kagome's smile faded and the laughter died. He wracked his brain trying to think of something to say to bring the smile back.

"Though they wouldn't recognize you in that get up anyhow."

Breathing a sigh of relief at her smile, Inuyasha adjusted his hold on the pack he was carrying. It wasn't as convenient as Kagome's old yellow backpack, but at least it was something to carry their stuff in. He was a little tired of keeping everything tucked into his own clothing. Part of him was glad of the fact that Kagome's regular clothes, that he had kept tucked into his haori, now carried his scent. Even if they were now tucked away in their new pack.

Kagome looked down at the ninja outfit that she had borrowed from Kaoru, though Inuyasha had never seen a ninja wear that short or with that color of blue, not to mention the pink obi with the very girly looking bow tied at the back. Oh well, it made her happy. The other purchase hung at her waist. Kunai, sharp iron blades, were purchased to lend authenticity to her outfit. Kenshin had been against letting Kagome carry the weapons since she was not trained, but Inuyasha felt it would be smart to give her a weapon to defend herself. The kunai could be used for throwing or stabbing or even digging or climbing! Plus they were easily concealed and easy to carry. Maybe if there was time, this Misao person could be found to give Kagome some training.

Of course, he had no intention of ever letting anyone even remotely dangerous anywhere close enough to Kagome for her to use her new weapon, but it would make HER feel better to have it. So it was worth it.

"It's comfortable though," she told him before spinning on the ball of her foot in a dancer's move. "It's very easy to move in."

Plus it wasn't a skirt and he wouldn't have to be on guard to conk out ever letch who looks in her direction every time the wind blows.

"Kagome Higurashi!"

Inuyasha cursed. Then he drew his sword and spun around.

His hands were held out in front of him. This time he didn't have a gun pointed at her. Instead, he had them held up in the universal sign for surrender. "Okay, just wait. Don't run. Trust me, things will only get worse if you run. Kagome Higurashi." He cleared his throat and continued. "You are under arrest for crimes against the universal Law of Time. You have the right to remain silent, but failing to mention any facts in your defense may be treated as evidence against you in the Court. If you wish to speak, anything you say may be given as evidence in the Court. A representative will be assigned to you once you have been processed." In a more friendly voice he added, "If you come along quietly, I think we can get those charges of assault on an officer and theft dropped."

"Kagome?"

Inuyasha looked back and noticed that Kaoru came back for them. Not far behind were Kenshin and the rest of their group. Six against one? Normally, he never liked ganging up on someone, but he'd make the exception for this guy. Maybe they could beat out of him instructions on how to use the Tripper.

"What do you want with Kagome-dono?" demanded the samurai.

"Are you trying to arrest KAGOME?" asked an astounded Kaoru.

"Ma'am, please let me do my job."

Kaoru gasped in horror. "Did you just call me a madam?"

Kenshin's eyes narrowed in fury. Inuyasha was tempted to let the little guy take first blood, but it was his fight. His and Kagome's. He motioned for Kenshin to stand down.

Just as Inuyasha was about to leap in for his first attack, the curly haired partner popped into view. The bright orange of her hair nearly blinded him. Six against two, odds were still in their favor. No, wait… four?

He cursed colorfully and loudly. It was that fox demon and that miko stealing kid. Which to kill first? Hmmm… it was a difficult decision.

"Inuyasha…"

He turned at Kagome's soft voice. She was holding the Tripper, and once more it was starting to blink wildly.

Ignoring the others, Inuyasha leapt towards Kagome as she started to fade.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Excruciating pain shot through his spine as he fell to the ground, missing Kagome as she blinked out of existence.

"KAAAGOOOMEEEEEEE!!!"

He tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond. His entire body hurt, it felt like every nerve ending was on fire. Looking up he saw a very angry looking woman holding a weapon.

"You ruined my shot!" she accused him.

That shot was meant for Kagome?

That excruciatingly painful shot was meant for Kagome?

HIS KAGOME?

"I was this close to finally captur…OOF!"

The woman was knocked to the ground by a very angry Kaoru. It was an impressive move considering she was wearing such a restrictive kimono.

"You KILLED Kagome! You killed my FRIEND!"

Kaoru was a skilled swordsmanship instructor, but she was not trained in hand to hand combat like Aster. The officer landed a blow that had Kaoru staggering. But it didn't knock her out of the fight, it only made her angrier.

It surprised him that Kenshin let the girl hit his woman. Inuyasha looked around for the red headed samurai, and was shocked to see him tied to a tree with vines, as well as Sano, Yahiko, and even the other officer. Just as Aster was about to land another blow, another vine shot out and dragged her to the ground, wrapping around her wrists and ankles like ropes. Kaoru stopped fighting. They all looked to the other red head. The one without the sword.

Kurama smiled at them all gently.

"Violence is not necessary," he admonished kindly. "Let us be on our way to locate Miss Kagome."

Kagome….

She was alone.

Unprotected.

She was… gone.

His soul cried out in anguish.

"We'll find her," Aster assured him as she began cutting at the vines with a small knife she must have had hidden on her. "We'll find her."

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Yahiko. No changes in his present or future brought about directly by contact with Kagome.

Sanosuke. No changes in his present or future brought about directly by contact with Kagome.

Kaoru. Though she remembers the girl fondly, no changes in her present or future brought about directly by contact with Kagome that would require erasing. She becomes a stronger fighter and participates in some battles alongside Kenshin.

Kenshin. No changes in his present or future brought about directly by contact with Kagome that would require erasing. Kaoru becomes more involved in fighting. Enemies see her as less of an easy target and there are fewer kidnappings.

Aster let herself smile. Their children would be stronger fighters and stronger believers in keeping peace. Seeing that both parents are powerful, yet dedicated to peace and protecting the weak, instills those same values in their children. Surely there was no reason to have to erase this future from happening. The changes weren't significant.

"Let's go before the hanyou regains control of his body," Dayan said.

Aster nodded. "Kurama, let them go. Let's get out of here." She really did feel bad for the miserable looking dog demon. She had never witnessed such sorrow before, and it hurt. Turning away from his pain she punched in coordinates to the ship to bring them back. All five of them.

Five…

Then why was she only counting four?

"Hey! Where's Bakura?"

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Disclaimer Part II: The characters of Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki, not me. I do, however, own the DVDs and manga.

Author's Notes: Thanks for everyone's reviews. I know that I can't make everyone happy, but I'm trying.


	5. Fairy Infestations and Hanyou Constellat

Disclaimer Part I: The characters of Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me. Aster and Dayandhi also belong to me. As unlikely as it would seem at first glance, this is a continuation story, not AU. (Though if you want to get technical... _anything_ fanfiction authors write is really an alternate universe...)

Inuyasha: A Fugitive Fairytale

Chapter Five

Fairy Infestations and Hanyou Constellations

"I don't believe in fairies."

Kagome slapped her hand over Bakura's mouth. "Are you crazy? You can't just go around killing fairies!"

Amused brown eyes crinkled as he licked her hand

"Ew!"

"I don't believe in fairies."

She smacked his arm, then wiped her hand on his shirt. "Stop killing fairies, you jerk! And I can't believe you LICKED me!"

Oh what she wouldn't do for a good 'sit' rosary for him. She pushed the thought away quickly before she broke down again. Yesterday she had cried. And cried. It was borderline hysterics for awhile. In fact, she had literally cried herself sick. Bakura had gone from sarcastic to wary quickly. It would have been amusing if she wasn't in the middle of a breakdown.

But Inuyasha would find her. She knew he would.

She hoped he remembered to bring her school uniform. The short blue ninja outfit was cute (especially with the pink bow), but it really didn't seem to fit in with time (or place) she was currently in.

"Why does the girl keep saying that he is killing fairies?" asked the tiny pink haired creature as she hovered nearby, munching on what was left of her 'waffo'.

"I don't know, Sugar. Maybe she's just… confused." The dark haired fairy pushed up her glasses and studied the two arguing humans.

"I dunno, Pepper," said the male fairy. "She seems pretty sure. What if he really is killing fairies? Maybe we should contact the Elder."

"Let's get Saga, Salt. She's a human, maybe she'll know what they are talking about." Sugar licked the last crumb off her finger and looked around the street. But the only thing she could focus on was the 'waffo' vendor. "If we get Saga, she could buy us another waffo!"

"What is a 'waffo'?" Kagome whispered to Bakura as two of the little fairies sped off.

The tomb robber looked around. The he spied the man selling sweet waffles. "Over there. I'll get us some."

"But… we don't have any money…"

The amused look was back in his eyes. "Have you forgotten what I do for a living?"

"_Did_. Past tense. No stealing, Bakura." Kagome watched as the fairy named Salt continued to hover near them, looking at them with suspicion. It was… odd… she had seen (and helped eliminate) lots of demons in her time, but never fairies. "And quit trying to kill the poor little fairies."

This time he laughed. It looked like the sound surprised him. From the stories he told, Kagome knew that usually his laughs were generally reserved for something sinister, so it was no wonder he didn't recognize it. She tried not to smile, he might stop. And from the sound of things, Bakura never really had a whole lot to laugh about.

"I take it you have read _Peter Pan_," laughed the young man with white hair.

Was that an actual attempt at a real conversation? Kagome double checked to make sure she was still talking with Bakura. She could have sworn for a moment that she was speaking with Ryou, his gentler counterpart that she met in Battle City. For two days she had been wandering around the small village in Germany with Bakura with no sign of Ryou. At least, that is where Bakura told her that they were.

Traveling in this country/world was much different than traveling in Japan with her friends. There was no wild life to hunt. Even if there was, who was going to hunt it? It wasn't exactly a skill she picked up along the way. Cooking sure, hunting and killing things, no. Bakura's offers to 'find' them food was beginning to not sound like such a bad idea.

"Of course I did, how else do you think I knew what you were doing, you fairy killer."

There was a soft sound that caught her attention. Kagome looked over and saw the little fairy trying to get her attention.

"Yes?"

"Is he really a fairy killer?"

Kagome blushed. "Er… I don't… um… well…" She scratched her head. "I read a book that said if you said what he said that a fairy would die."

Bakura and the fairy both looked at her in confusion.

"About the believing in fairies thing," she explained.

Bakura smirked and the fairy still looked confused.

"You mean… you think he's killing fairies just by saying he doesn't believe in them?"

Kagome nodded.

The little fairy rolled his eyes as he seemed to stand on the air with his tiny hands on his hips. It was difficult for her to not squeal at the cuteness of it. "Hardly any humans believe in fairies, that doesn't mean we aren't still here."

Kagome looked around as another fairy flew by. This one seemed to be carrying a violin. She pressed her lips tightly closed so she wouldn't make a remark about the world's tiniest violin. She wasn't sure that any of them would get the joke, and it was possible that the fairy may find it offensive.

Ever so slightly, Bakura turned his head as his eyes narrowed slightly. Kagome turned to look in that direction. She saw a young girl running their direction.

"Put that away," growled Kagome.

Bakura smirked as he tucked the knife he was hiding in his hand away back into his pocket. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "You're no fun."

The girl stopped a few feet in front of Kagome and Bakura. She was smiling at them and trying to not look like she was paying attention to the two little fairies flying about her head both talking at once and pointing at them.

"Hello," Kagome greeted her.

"Hello. My name is Saga."

"I'm Kagome and this is my friend, Bakura."

The tomb robber looked startled at the introduction. She supposed that not many referred to him as a friend. But how else could she explain him? This is Bakura, the guy who followed me through time and space because he had nothing better to do.

Bakura gestured to the fairies. "They always make such a fuss?"

This time it was Saga who looked startled. "You can see them?"

"Yeah," he said. "There's seems to be some sort of a fairy infestation around here."

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"Just how long are you going to keep him under?"

Aster bit her nails, a deplorable habit she thought she rid herself of years before. Enforcers of justice did not go around biting their nails nervously. But, she had a good reason to be nervous. Dayan had a right to know, but she wasn't looking forward to telling him. After taking a breath, she turned around to face her partner.

"We're keeping him under for as long as possible."

He plopped down in the seat across from her desk. He had accused her of hiding in her office once they got back on board. It wasn't true. Not exactly. After they got on board and secured the hanyou and the fox demon in the holding cells, she knew that she had a lot to do and a very short time to get it done. Plus she had to prioritize the problems before they could be dealt with and redouble her efforts into finding Kagome.

"Aster?"

Blinking slowly away from her thoughts, she saw Dayan leaning forward, looking concerned. Wiping her palms on her pants, she decided that she had to tell him.

"We have to keep him under until we locate Kagome."

"Sorry to tell you this, Az, but that won't be much longer. The effects of the tranquilizers are wearing off."

She jumped to her feet, eyes wide with panic. "Then give them another dose!"

Dayan watched as she grabbed her jacked and headed for the door. She muttered about making a quick trip to the medical unit then to the cells. She had to keep the hanyou asleep. Not even halfway through the door she was stopped. Looking down she saw Dayan's hand on her wrist. She couldn't look him in the eye. It was wrong to have kept the information from him. And now they may both pay for it.

"You don't understand, Az. The tranqs are losing any effect on them. Maybe it's their metabolism, or the fact that they have demon blood. The fact of the matter is that we can't keep them under for much longer."

"No." The word was a hissed plea.

"Look, they're rational beings. We'll just let them know that we're on her trail and will catch up with them soon. No big deal."

Aster dropped her head and closed her eyes.

"When he wakes up, he will cut through the bars as if they are tissue paper. Then, in a frenzied rage he will kill me in one swipe, then the fox demon as he tries to help, then he will cut you to ribbons and you will die of blood loss after hours of excruciating pain as he continues to beat on you."

Dayan let go of her wrist and gulped. "Then we take away his sword."

She shook her head. "Then he somehow… changes… into this demon. And we will still die, though much more painfully as he will tend to do more… ripping."

"I have a suggestion."

Dayan and Aster looked up and saw the smiling red haired boy.

"What? How? You!" Aster was sputtering. "We locked you up!"

He smiled pleasantly. "Yes."

"You said you had a suggestion?" asked Dayan.

"Yes." His green eyes were friendly and calm. As if their imminent deaths were not just down the hall.

Aster clenched her hands into fists to keep from shaking the answers out of him. She would figure out how he escaped later. Right now she had bigger things to worry about. "What is your suggestion?"

"Simple. Let Inuyasha loose."

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"Thank you very much for inviting us to tea, Saga." Kagome lifted her tea cup and hissed quietly at Bakura, "Do you HAVE to eat so much?"

He simply grinned and took yet another tea cake and popped it into his mouth. Though he would never admit it, he missed the tea cakes and sandwiches that Ryou would have at tea in England. Before he could only remember the taste, since it was actually his host who ate and drank. Sometimes, when he was bored, he would leave his soul room inside of Ryou and poke around in his memories.

Of course, since following Kagome, he hadn't heard even a whisper from Ryou. In fact, he didn't think that Ryou was in him at all. Somehow he had a body of his own. Was it possible that Ryou was still back in Battle City? How could something like that have happened? His own body… now THAT opened up a lot of possibilities.

"You're welcome, Kagome. I must admit, I was very surprised to find out that you can see fairies too! Sugar is staying with me while she looks for her twinkle. Salt and Pepper stay elsewhere, but they like to come and keep Sugar company."

"Twinkle?"

Saga shrugged. "I'm not sure what the twinkle is. But she keeps looking for it. She's an apprentice season fairy. Once she finds her twinkle she'll become a full-fledged season fairy."

"Season… like a seasoning?" Kagome asked.

Their hostess laughed. "No. But I don't blame you for thinking so. Sugar is a snow fairy. Salt is a sun fairy. And Pepper is a wind fairy. Season as in the four seasons. At least… I think so." She scratched her head and smiled, then checked her watch. "Oh! It's getting late! I need to be at the coffee shop." She stood. "Please, stay here and finish tea. Grandma Regina made lots of food. After work I have an appointment to help my friend Phil, then I need to… hmm… I may be able to rearrange my schedule… Yes. I think so. If you would like, I can show you around town later. I'm sorry, but I really have to run. Stay and enjoy yourselves!"

Saga waved as she started to run out of the house. Kagome and Bakura watched as she raced down the street, Sugar trailing after her. Salt and Pepper, however, seemed quite content to sit on the upturned tea cup to watch Kagome and Bakura.

"Don't you have wishes to go grant or something?"

"Bakura!" Kagome slapped his arm. What was it with this girl and the physical punishments she liked to dole out? He wasn't sure which was more violent, the sword swinging hanyou or the girl. "Please forgive him. We've had a long journey."

Pepper looked at Salt. "Grant wishes?"

"Yeah, that's what fairies do," Bakura said. He leaned back and draped his arm over Kagome's shoulders. He gave her a leering look as he curled a lock of her hair around his finger. This promised to be fun. Painful, but fun. "I've got a wish you could grant."

"BAAKURAAAA!!!"

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Inuyasha's blood sizzled.

He had woken up groggy only moments before. But the first thing he noticed was that there was no scent of Kagome. That woke him up quick.

"Kagome?"

He sniffed the air again. Unfamiliar smells assaulted his nose, but he tried to sort through them to find a trace of the miko's. He opened his eyes and scanned the area, just in case somehow his sense of smell was failing him.

"Kagome?"

He was in a room with bars? A cell?

"KAGOME!!!"

He reached for his sword as the sound of footsteps came closer, running towards him. He sniffed. Kagome wasn't with them, but he did recognize the smells. His fist clenched around the hilt of his sword.

They separated him from Kagome.

It was their fault.

Kagome was alone.

Unprotected.

And it was ALL THEIR FAULT!!!

The growl erupted from him as his body screamed at him to take revenge on these people who dared take away his mate. He felt his fangs grow longer. They would pay. _They would all pay!_

"KAGOMEEEE!"

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"Inuyasha!"

Kagome cried out, then whimpered, reaching out into the darkness. Bakura watched from the chair in the corner. He wasn't about to sleep in a strange place, regardless of how harmless Saga and her grandmother appeared to be. He would not lower his guard.

"Who is Inuyasha?" asked the little sun fairy who for some bizarre reason felt compelled to follow Bakura around.

"Her… friend."

"Why is she crying?"

"They got separated."

"Why doesn't she go find him?"

Bakura flicked the fairy off of his shoulder. "Aren't you supposed to be off looking for a sparkle or something?"

"A Twinkle." Salt flew back and perched himself on Bakura's head. "She seems so sad every since we talked about the stars tonight. I don't like seeing her so sad."

The tomb robber watched Kagome. Her tears were… distressing. He shouldn't care. His heart had died long ago. Thousands of years ago. Hadn't it? All he cared about was vengeance against the pharaoh and collecting the Millennium Items. Only… the pharaoh didn't exist here, and neither did the items. It was strange. Freeing.

He was almost enjoying the adventure. Though the girl didn't seem to be. At least not at night. During the day she was friendly and full of smiles, a lot like Anzu. But at night… at night she would cry in sorrow. In anguish. In desperation. It had taken him a long time to recognize that she was suffering because she loved the hanyou.

Love.

A stupid, useless emotion. A weak emotion.

Strange how it seemed powerful enough to bring the miko to her knees. Love… who needed it? All it does is gives you a weakness for others to exploit. He should know, he's exploited it plenty of times in the past. Snatch the Pharaoh's friends and suddenly he's ready to battle, body and soul. What would it be like to have someone to care about like that? Someone you would defend with your life? And what would it be like to have someone feel like that about him? Bakura watched Kagome sleep. What would it be like to love someone enough to search for them through time and space?

A tear trickled down her cheek, and Bakura fought to keep from wiping it away. To wipe away evidence of that strong emotion she felt for the hanyou. It made him feel… empty.

"I don't like seeing her sad either, elf."

"Um… I'm a fairy… not an elf."

"Whatever."

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"Well, now," said Aster cheerful (obnoxiously so) as she sat perched on the table next to him as she played with changing the color of locks of her hair with her favorite techie toy, "That didn't go so bad, did it?"

"He broke my arm, Az," growled Dayan. She was all too perky for being in the medical unit. She had a few defensive cuts and bruises on her arms from jumping in front of him to protect him from the enraged hanyou. A bit of a blow to his ego, but it probably saved his life. "And dislocated my shoulder, and broke three fingers."

"But we are all alive," came the gentle voice of their red haired stowaway.

"Yes! And that is soooo much better than being dead."

Dayan didn't want to agree with her. Maybe when the painkillers kicked in and his bones were mended. Thank the stars that each ship came equipped with the medical units. Broken bones healed in hours instead of weeks.

"Where is that psycho anyhow?"

Aster paled, then glanced around. She stopped playing with her now rainbow of hair coloring and pointed to the top of her head with her two index fingers and mouthed the words 'good hearing, idiot'. Dayan cringed. He really REALLY hoped he was far enough away that he didn't hear that little comment. Last thing he needed as another thing to tick him off and have even more bones in need of mending.

"He's in the mess hall eating." Mess hall? More like a small room with a small table and four chairs bolted to the floor. "I showed him how to work the automator while you were, um, out. Hopefully we'll still have some supplies left once he's done."

The stowaway stood up and stretched.

"I shall go keep our friend company," he said. "And perhaps have a snack as well. Would you care for me to bring something back for you?"

Dayan snarled at him to just get out. Kurama was way too polite and nice considering they fought a battle on the ship a mere half hour ago. How could he just smile and shrug it off? And how did he get away without a single scratch? And not a hair out of place! The least he could do would be to maybe limp or something.

"Hey!"

Dayan jumped. Aster snickered. Yet another blow to his ego.

"What do you want?" Perhaps he'd get bonus points for bravery for snarling at the half demon who nearly destroyed their ship.

"You said we were going to go get Kagome? When are we going to be there? Are we almost there?"

Aster snickered again. It was, after all, the third time he had asked since he finished whupping on them all. "No, Inuyasha," she said patiently. "We're still a ways away. We'll be there soon."

The hanyou looked at them suspiciously. "You'll let me know as soon as we get close." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, Inuyasha."

After another glare, he left again. Dayan no longer cared where he went, as long as it was far away from him.

"I better go give him a tour of the place," Aster said as she hopped off of the table.

"Give him a tour of the cells again," Dayan grumbled. "Or the airlock."

Aster shook her head and pointed to her head again with her two index fingers. She mouthed the words "good hearing, idiot".

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The place was pretty interesting. It would be more interesting of Kagome was next to him and not out of his reach. Being separated from her made his skin itch. It also shortened his temper significantly. The woman trailing after him didn't improve his mood, nor did the fox demon who kept trying to have a 'civilized' conversation with him.

"So Kagome adopted a fox kit," the annoying kid asked. "How did that happen?"

"WE adopted the kit," Inuyasha said pointedly. "WE found him after his father had been slaughtered and WE took him along on OUR journey. He just kind of stuck around and it just kind of happened."

"Surely along your travels you must have met others of his kind."

Inuyasha shrugged as he inspected the metal machine they were flying in. He couldn't find a single seam in the walls where it had to have been put together. He wondered if she would be able to make sense of the place. And there was hardly any smell. Everything was muted. Sterile.

"Yeah, so?"

"So why did he not choose to make his home with other fox demons?"

Inuyasha froze, then slowly turned to glare at Kurama with narrowed eyes. "You mean like YOUR kind?" Kurama just shrugged and smiled. "Shippo won't be separated from Kagome. He's adopted her as his mother."

"Oh, I would not dream of separating Shippo from Kagome."

Inuyasha blinked.

Twice.

Then he grabbed his sword and roared.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooooOOooOOoo

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Kagome sat cross legged on the ground and stared at the Tripper, willing it to work. She even tried summoning up her miko energy. Apparently magic doesn't work well on that particular brand of technology. Closing her eyes she concentrated on Inuyasha. Once she had been able to communicate with him through time, but that was when she was next to the God Tree. There was nothing to focus on that would have the same connection. Her head drooped as she realized that she had nothing of Inuyasha's.

But he had the rosary. And it was connected to her. So maybe… Just maybe…

Clasping her hands together she pictured Inuyasha, and focused on the rosary he was wearing. She called his name. She reached out with her soul. She could almost feel hi…

"HEY!"

Dang it! She was so close!

Irritably she looked around for what hit her in the back of the head. From the ground she heard some tiny mumbling.

"BAKURA!" He really needed a sit necklace. She should have asked Kaede how to create them long ago. "Fairies are not spitballs! Stop it."

"You tell it to stop sitting on me or I'll be forced to do more than just flick it off."

"Perhaps a little bit of sunlight will help to cheer him up," suggested Pepper as she adjusted her tiny little glasses then helped Salt back up to his feet. "Play your trumpet and call out the sun."

"Good idea!"

"NO! No more trumpet playing. Kagome, you keep that thing away from me or I won't be held responsible. Not even your puppy dog eyes will keep me from pulling off his wings this time!"

"Maybe if we found HIM a twinkle it would make him happy," suggested Sugar cheerfully.

Kagome clenched her hands into fists to keep from following Bakura's bad example. She was beginning to see what he meant about a fairy infestation. While Saga was in school, apparently they had nothing better to do than hang around them asking about a zillion questions and being extremely happy. Normally excess happiness wouldn't bother her so much, but she was trying to cope with being separated from her best friend and trying to find a way back to him. And concentrating was difficult with their new little friends around.

All the time.

All. The. Time.

How did the not drive poor Saga insane? Even on Inuyasha's worst day he wasn't as annoying as the fairies buzzing around all day. They were more like tiny little Shippos that could fly and never got tired of asking questions. The mental image of the kit being three inches tall with wings made Kagome smile. Which turned almost immediately melted into a sad frown.

"Let me guess. Thinking of the little wolf demon?"

Kagome over at Bakura. "Kouga?"

"Nah, The Ship one."

She laughed. "Shippo is a fox demon. Don't let Inuyasha hear you calling him a wolf."

Bakura sat next to her. "He got a thing against wolves?"

"Well… sort of."

Reaching over, he took the Tripper from her. He looked amused as she quickly snatched it back.

"I just wanted to see how it worked." He leaned back, stretching his legs out in front of them and crossing them lazily.

"How what works?" asked Sugar as she landed on Kagome's hand. "Oh! Maybe I could help with magic!"

"NO!" Kagome pulled the Tripper to her chest and glared at the pink haired fairy. It was tough work, but she managed to calm herself down and force an apologetic smile on her face. "I mean… no thank you, though I appreciate your offer.

"Maybe it would work if we found a Twinkle for it!"

Kagome grit her teeth and tried not to snap at them. After all, they were just trying to help. Even if they had no idea what a Twinkle was.

Pepper cocked her head to one side as she looked at the object Kagome held tenderly. "Is it supposed to make that sound?"

"Sound?"

Pepper nodded. "Yes, a slight humming sound. It just started."

Sugar and Salt stopped their 'game' of dodging Bakura's hand and went to go listen to the Tripper. "I hear it!" they said in unison.

Kagome held it up to her ear. She closed her eyes and concentrated, but still couldn't hear it.

"It's a very small sound," Pepper told her. The little fairy pat her hand sympathetically. It was the same look of sympathy Shippo and Inuyasha would sometimes give her when they realized her hearing was normal human hearing.

Then she felt the buzzing through her fingertips. She opened her mouth to remark on it, but suddenly the air began to shimmer. Tears flooded her eyes as she heard his voice.

"KAGOMEEEEE!"

"In… Inuyasha?" She jumped to her feet. But before she could take a step, Bakura was standing in font of her in a fighting stance. "What are you doing?" She shoved him. "Get out of my way!"

"Did you forget about a couple of space cops trying to put you away… permanently?"

"Inuyasha won't let them take me."

"GET AWAY FROM KAGOME!"

And suddenly there he was. Eyes flaring like molten gold. His hands were on her, checking for any sign of harm.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did he touch you? Are you okay?" When his inspection was over he merely breathed her name and pulled her into his arms. Kagome didn't even try to stop her tears.

The sound of a throat clearing broke them apart.

"Er… really hate to do this… but…" Dayan took a deep breath. "Kagome Higurashi, you are under arrest for crimes against the universal Law of Time. You have the right to remain silent, but failing to mention any facts in your defense may be treated as evidence against you in…"

"I know the rest. I've heard it before," Kagome remarked grumpily. The loss of body heat, Inuyasha's body heat, put a damper on her mood. Reluctant to give up contact now that they were reunited, she held on to the back of his fire rat robe as Inuyasha faced the Time Police with his sword drawn.

"Yes, I'm aware. But law states that before an arrest is made I must read you your rights. So if you don't mind… Failing to mention any facts in your defense may be treated as evidence against you in the Court. If you wish to speak, anything you say may be given as evidence in the Court. A representative will be assigned to you once you have been processed." His weapon was leveled steadily at Inuyasha's chest. "Please… _please_ come along quietly."

"What's going on, Kagome?" asked a tiny voice.

"They are bad people trying to take Kagome away," Bakura answered Sugar. "Can't you make a snow storm or something?"

"I can make a snowflake!" The fairy got out her flute and started to play.

"What the… What's flyin' around your head, Kagome?"

"She's a fairy, Inuyasha."

"WHAT?"

"A fairy." Looking up she saw a lone snowflake falling from the sky. Loads of help these fairies were. Pepper began playing her harp and the wind picked up. It was a gentle wind. Kagome sighed. Well… they were trying at least. She smiled at them to thank them for their help.

"Look, you guys can catch up on the ship. Now if you just come along we can drop Inuyasha, Kurama and Bakura off where they belong."

"I'm not leaving Kagome!"

It was Dayan's turn to sigh. "It's not like you'll even remember her once we put you back where you belong."

Enraged, Inuyasha attacked. Kagome screamed his name and he did a turn in the air. However, even his fantastic hanyou abilities could not stop him in midair. He realized his mistake the moment he heard her voice cry out. He threw his sword towards to woman sneaking up behind Kagome. Bakura, perhaps misunderstanding his intent, tackled Kagome.

Inuyasha's feet touched the ground and he launched back towards Kagome. He reached for her, screaming her name.

But she disappeared.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooooOOooOOoo

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Nervously Aster backed away from the sword. If she had been even a moment faster she would have been split in half. So much for the splitting up and coming from two sides attack. Finding people and kicking booty were her forte, not battle tactics.

Her eyes widened as she realized that Inuyasha was pounding the ground and screaming. He was separated from Kagome again.

Heaven help them all.

Wishing she had brought Kurama along to help handle the hanyou, she quickly did a scan to see who might have been affected by Kagome in this time and place. She looked around and was able to pick up on one mind, though she couldn't find the body it went with. She closed her eyes and focused. Ah, it was a fairy.

Sugar: Devastated by the loss of her two friends, she doesn't find her Twinkle (whatever that was), grows despondant and fades away until she dies. This upsets her friend Saga who falls into deep depression, feeling she loses everyone in her life who means something to her.

So… where were the two friends?

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Disclaimer Part II: A Little Snow Fairy Sugar characters belong to Kadokawa Shoten, Yu-Gi-Oh characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi, Yu Yu Hakusho characters belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

My list of disclaimers grows.

Author's Notes: Tsk… sooooo close. They were this close to being together again.


	6. Dang Dog Demons

Disclaimer Part I: The characters of Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me. Aster and Dayandhi also belong to me. As unlikely as it would seem at first glance, this is a continuation story, not AU.

Inuyasha: A Fugitive Fairytale

Chapter Six

Dang Dog Demons

"This way, Kagome! There's a dog demon this way!"

The miko trudged through the park in the direction of the tiny melodic voice. Her excitement of finding the dog demon had faded over the last few days. The little brunette and bespectacled fairy, Pepper, kept 'finding' traces of the dog demon and had been leading them around. And around.

And around.

Pepper was sweet and cute. But she wasn't much of a tracker.

Kagome sighed, trying to swallow her irritation. It wasn't Pepper's fault that she was wandering the streets alone without her hanyou.

It was Bakura's fault.

She was glad that she had slugged him when they landed in the new world. She didn't feel even an iota of guilt. Nope. Not a trace. And she wasn't lonely either. After all, she had her easily distracted and slightly despondent fairy to keep her company. And she didn't feel guilty about that either. It wasn't HER fault that Salt decided to stay with Bakura and keep him company after Kagome left him.

How many days ago was that?

Kagome rubbed her eyes. She was tired. Her body hurt. Her muscles hurt. Her bones hurt. Heck, her hair even hurt! Oh and it itched. What wouldn't she give for some shampoo and a hot bath. And she hadn't slept since she parted with Bakura, either. A girl sleeping out in the open alone? Didn't really sound very safe. And a fairy that no one could see wasn't much protection. And FINE! Okay! She was maybe a LITTLE lonely for some human companionship. Someone who didn't talk about Sugar and Salt and Twinkles.

Pepper turned around and flew back to Kagome, hovering at eye level.

"Are you going to forgive Mr. Bakura?" she asked.

"Forgive him?" Kagome clenched her fists. "No way! It's his fault that we're stuck here! I was with Inuyasha! I touched him! He was RIGHT THERE! I had finally found him and now he's gone!"

"I… I thought Mr. Bakura was saving you from the woman with the… the… thing."

Of course Pepper didn't know what a gun was. Against her will, Kagome's anger started to disappear. It was quite possible that Bakura had saved her. But… Inuyasha was gone. He was right there. She had touched him. And now he's gone. And she felt even more alone than she had before.

"Maybe… you're right, Pepper." Kagome sighed again, this time looking around. She wondered if she should try to find the boys.

Pepper's wings fluttered and sparkles flooded the air. "Does that mean I can go get Salt?" Kagome had to blink the fairy dust out of her eyes and coughed a bit as she nodded to the excited fairy.

A smile touched her lips as Pepper disappeared from sight. She was glad that she could make her happy. Her smile faded as she continued to watch until the last trace of pixie dust was gone. It had been selfish of her to hold a grudge, especially since Pepper missed Salt terribly. She sat down on a bench to wait. Pulling her knees to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them, making herself as small as possible.

Perhaps it was the fact that she had been so absorbed in self-pity…

Or maybe it was that she wasn't of this world…

But for whatever reason, she didn't sense his demonic presence until he was an arm's length away. Her heart raced as she looked up, straight into the eyes of the dog demon leaning down and peering at her.

"Well, she ain't dead."

Kagome blinked.

Then she rubbed her eyes.

Then she screeched at the top of her lungs and jumped up so fast she stumbled onto the ground and landed on her rear. She was glad she was wearing the ninja shorts outfit rather than her skirt. Otherwise she would have been even more embarrassed. The dog demon stared down at her, dumbfounded by the reaction.

"See Amane, she ain't dead. So can we get out of here, already?"

Kagome looked up at the dog demon, furious. Scrambling to her feet she pointed at him. "You're not Inuyasha!"

"Uh. No." He eyed her warily, then whispered to his companion who hidden from view behind him. "She's nuts. Can we just go?"

A girl walked from behind the dog demon. She was tall and beautiful, with long straight hair and a regal posture. For a brief moment she reminded Kagome of Kikyo. The familiar stab of pain hit her heart, but she tried to shake it off. Was she in some twisted reality where Kikyo and Inuyasha were… together? Why oh why had she ever read so many Alternate Universe stories? Now all she could see was the similarities between this dog demon and her own.

"Hyoue, be good."

Kagome was a bit startled by the girl's tone. She had heard that tone plenty of times, it was the tone that people used when commanding their dog. She winced. It was a tone she herself had used on Inuyasha, every time she said 'sit'.

"Please forgive my friend. He has a temper."

"It must be a dog thing," Kagome smiled as she stuck out her hand in greeting. "My name is Kagome."

Amane did not reach for her hand. "Dog thing?"

Dropping her hand as casually as possibly, Kagome looked from Amane to Hyoue. "Yeah, you know, a dog demon thing."

Hyoue glared at her as he inserted himself between her and Amane. "Who are you?" he demanded. His voice carried all sorts of threats. Another tone she was familiar with. This one was the same tone Inuyasha used right before he started slicing into an enemy. Suddenly Kagome realized just how alone she was.

Flexing her hand she tried to summon a bow like she saw Kuwabara do. It was a long shot, but she had to try since her own bow was so very far away. A tingly palm is all she got for her trouble. That and an increasingly suspicious look from Hyoue.

"Leave Kagome alone!"

The miko nearly laughed. After all, the voice was very soft and musical. What was one little fairy going to do against a dog demon and a… well, Kagome wasn't sure what Amane was, but her instincts told her that she was no normal school girl.

"Do you hear something?" Amane asked Hyoue.

"Sounds… like a… harp?"

Kagome hid her smile with her fingertips. Sure enough, Pepper was playing her harp. The breeze began to pick up, fluttering Kagome's hair and skirt. Pepper played more, and the breeze turned into wind.

"Stay away from Kagome!" Pepper told them with a face that would have looked fiercely stern if she wasn't so dang cute.

The wind continued to whip around them. For a moment the miko wondered if the tiny little fairy had it in her to create a tornado. Nah… Pepper was too sweet to wreak such havoc. Besides, the stiff wind seemed to be taking just about everything out of the poor little thing. Just as Kagome was about to pluck the fairy out of the air and take away her harp/weapon, the sound of a trumpet began to blare and the sun began to shine. Brightly. Kagome shaded her eyes as the sun went from bright to flaring.

Hyoue squinted, raising one hand up to his eyes to block out the sun as the wind continued to pull at them. A button popped off of his shirt and Kagome noticed the unusual necklace he was wearing. No… not necklace… Dog collar.

"Strange weather," he commented off hand. Kagome hoped that it didn't hurt the fairies feelings. After all, they were in full protection mode.

"Are you a priestess?" asked Amane calmly, as if the weather hadn't gone wacky.

"What?"

"HEY! YOU!" Kagome looked up. There was a blur of white, then suddenly a body was shielding her from view. "Who are you? What do you want with Kagome?"

"Bakura?"

For an irrational moment she was surprised that her shield wasn't made of red fire rat fur. Then she was irritated with Bakura for not being Inuyasha. It was an honest mistake. Bakura was not known for being protective. It seemed a little strange. After all, Bakura wasn't exactly the body shielding type. He was more of the stand on the side lines and make snarky comments type.

"You okay?"

"Bakura?"

"You miss me, sweetheart?"

"That better be a quote from a movie and not an actual term of endearment," she snarled, snapping out of her shock. Then she reluctantly admitted, "But I am, just a little mind you, just a little glad to see you."

Pepper landed on Kagome's shoulder, too exhausted to play her instrument any longer. Salt flew down and sat next to her. They both looked completely wiped out. Kagome gave them a sympathetic smile and turned her attention to Amane.

"How did you know?"

Amane shrugged, then looked pointedly at Bakura and in the direction of the fairies. She may not be able to see them, but she was certainly able to sense them. "You travel with unusual companions."

Kagome's spine stiffened and she tried to reign in her temper. "So do you."

"You know what he is?" She smiled.

"Of course she does," said Hyoue with a yawn. "She stinks of dog demon."

"I…stink?" Her fists clenched. And she couldn't help it, she started to glow pink. Salt grabbed Pepper's hand and flew her off to the rather questionable protection of Bakura.

Amane bowed. "Please forgive my koma-oni. He can be rude."

The pink fire faded as Kagome snorted in laughter. "It must be another dog demon thing." She looked at Hyoue closely, but did not see anything unusual about him besides the dog collar. No cute puppy ears. "You said koma-oni?"

"Yes. My guardian demon. You have a koma-oni as well?"

Kagome scratched her head. "Well, I wouldn't exactly call Inuyasha MY guardian demon… but he does protect me."

She glanced at Hyoue's collar, then lowered her eyes in shame as she thought of the rosary around Inuyasha's neck. Amane spoke of Hyoue as if… as if he were a thing. A pet. A, well, guardian demon. Surely Inuyasha didn't think that she thought of him like that. Like a thing. He knew that… right?

"He is not a ghost," Amane said quietly as she studied Bakura, "But he is not of this world. He does not belong."

Kagome winced at the choice of phrase.

"I'm hungry, Amane," Hyoue whined.

"In a minute. Now, what exactly are you? Not a ghost. Not a wandering or lost spirit. Something is strange about your body, too."

Bakura moved close and to Kagome and whispered to her, "And she says HE is rude?" He swore under his breath about useless women.

"Amaaneeee."

"Oh, very well." She moved towards Hyoue, then stopped. She turned to Kagome and asked, "You don't mind do you? I know that your koma-oni must get hungry as well. Though Hyoue seems to be hungrier than most. I hope you will not feel it is rude if I feed him?"

It took all her effort to not roll her eyes. "Yeah, Inuyasha is hungry all the time too." She tried to ignore how it felt as if Amane was talking about a puppy. "I don't mind."

Amane reached up and cupped Hyoue's cheek. He then bent his head down and touched his lips to hers. Kagome made a squeaking sound before jumping in front of the fairies to shield their eyes. Then closed her own eyes. Peeked. Then closed them again. Bakura, however, seemed to watch the whole show.

"I think I'm hungry, too," whispered Bakura as he leaned forward.

"Suffer," responded the embarrassed miko. She moved his hand that seemed to have strayed onto her hip.

When they were finished, Kagome looked over and saw Hyoue smiling down at Amane, who had turned her attention back to figuring out what Bakura was. He seemed different. More alive. More… powerful. Energy was flickering across him. That should have been the most interesting thing about the exchange (besides that fact that feeding occurred through kissing), but it wasn't. It was Hyoue's eyes.

The koma-oni was in love with Amane.

"KAGOOOMEEEEE!"

Her heart stopped beating.

It couldn't be…

…could it?

"Inuyasha?"

"BLADES OF BLOOD!"

The grass in front of Hyoue and Amane exploded as the red projectiles sliced the ground in front of them. Kagome pushed back from Bakura and searched for her own dog demon. Bakura smiled at her then backed away.

"Inuyasha!"

"Stay away from Kagome!"

The familiar red wall was in front of her. Tears streamed down her face. Inuyasha was here! Throwing her arms around him she cried into his robes. With one hand he drew his sword, with the other he grabbed onto Kagome's hands at his waist. He didn't move them, he just held them.

Hyoue, sensing a threat to Amane, transformed. One moment he was a young man, the next he was this strange fiery creature. He seemed more lion than dog, though. Whatever he was, he was absolutely terrifying as he roared at Inuyasha. He, however, wasn't that impressed with the koma-oni's roar. He merely scoffed and removed Kagome's hands from his middle. He did, however, keep possession of one. He was about to unleash an attack when a slightly panicked Kagome tugged on his sleeve.

"Inuyasha… we have a problem."

"Relax, Kagome, I'll take care of this wimp."

"No… It's the jewel… It's gone!"

Amane cleared her throat loud enough to be heard over the growls. "I believe your companion is leaving."

Kagome looked up. Sure enough, Bakura was standing a few yards away, his form was shimmering. HE HAD THE TRIPPER! Worse. Dangling from his fingers was the tiny jar of Shikon jewel shards. He blew Kagome a kiss as he disappeared.

"The jewel shards," cried Kagome.

"SALT!"

Pepper was flying frantically where Bakura had disappeared. She kept calling her friend's name.

"He tried to get your jar back!" Pepper cried hysterically, "But he's gone now! SALT! He can't be gone!"

Kagome's heart broke as Pepper continued to cry. She called to the little fairy, who hiccupped as she sobbed and wobbly flew over to her. The miko cradled the fairy gently as she leaned against Inuyasha's warmth, and whispered promises that everything was going to be fine.

"Sure it is," agreed Inuyasha. Then he asked Kagome, "What is that?"

"She's a fairy. Her name is Pepper, and Salt is her friend."

"Salt and Pepper?" He blinked owlishly. "You're kidding."

"HEY!" Kagome and Inuyasha turned their attention back to Hyoue, who was back in human form. "Does this mean we're not fighting or what?"

Before Kagome could explain that there was a misunderstanding, she was interrupted once more.

"Kagome Higurashi," said a very familiar voice, "You are under arrest for crimes against the universal Law of Time."

Kagome caught Amane's eye as she was turning her head towards Dayan. The other girl gave her a quizzical look.

"You are a criminal?"

Kagome shook her head and waved her hands frantically. "No!"

"You have the right to remain silent," Dayan appeared a few yards behind Kagome, looking very worn out and slightly beat up, "but failing to mention any facts in your defense may be treated as evidence against you in the Court. If you wish to speak, anything you say may be given as evidence in the Court."

"Did he say Law of Time?" Hyoue looked to Amane for answers. "What in the world is that?"

"I do not know."

"A representative will be assigned to you once you have been processed." Dayan reached behind him and pulled out an odd looking contraption that Kagome assumed were handcuffs. "I… you…" He stared at the miko for a moment in wonder. "You're still here." He brightened up and took a step towards her. "Now, if you don't mind, let's get going."

"You won't touch her!" Inuyasha snarled and turned on Dayan. "And neither will YOU!"

Kagome looked around to see who her dog demon was talking to. Sheepishly, Aster poked her head (why would she color her hair THAT odd shade of yellow?) out from around a tree. She kept her weapon out and walked over to Dayan. The officer looked much less aggressive than usual. In fact, she looked downright relaxed.

"You'll come with us," Aster said confidently.

Inuyasha growled his response.

"After all, what other choice do you have?"

Ug. She had a point. With the Tripper gone, Kagome and Inuyasha had no way of escaping. Sure they could escape for the moment, but then they would be trapped in an unfamiliar land with no way of returning home. But to go with them… that would lead to jail. Or death.

"Would you like our assistance?" asked Amane.

Kagome was surprised. Just a moment ago Inuyasha and Hyoue were about to tear each other apart, and now she was offering to help them?

The young priestess stood next to the miko. "Your dog demon is more than just your protector?" She looked back at her own dog demon, then back at Kagome. "I do not understand what is going on. But I know that you are no criminal." She lowered her voice so only Kagome and Inuyasha would be able to hear. "I come from an island with many demons, many koma-oni. If you would like, you and your guardian can stay there for as long as you like."

"It is a kind offer," said Kagome, "But…"

"Yes," interrupted Inuyasha, "We can stay."

"Inuyasha?"

"We'll be safe. You'll be safe."

"But… what about home? What about the jewel?"

"Keh," scoffed Inuyasha. "Home is wherever we want it to be. And the jewel… The jewel is far away now, and it can't hurt anyone."

"Your wish…"

"It doesn't matter, Kagome," his hand tightened around hers, his voice was rough, "I can't risk losing you again. I can't."

"I'll go with them," said a tiny voice. "Then maybe I can find Salt."

Kagome felt the tiny fairy flutter her wings, preparing to leave on a quest of her own. Then the miko looked over at Amane and Hyoue. The guardian demon was just that. A guardian. She couldn't do that to Inuyasha. She couldn't live with herself if he got downgraded from friend and partner (life partner in all her daydreams) to simply a guardian. She had a bad feeling that it might just happen if they lived in a land where that was common. Would Inuyasha allow that to happen in a misguided attempt to protect her?

With pleading eyes she looked at her lovable hanyou. "We have to go."

The dog demon cursed. "Kagome, don't do this."

"We have to."

"Kagome Higurashi," Dayan said softly, "You are under arrest." He held up the cuffs warily. Kagome held out her wrists and shushed Inuyasha when his curses intensified. Pepper hovered near Kagome's head, fretting over the restraints.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooooOOooOOoo

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Amane. Realizes that Hyoue is more than a guardian. She defies her family, leading to a long and vicious battle between Amane and Hyoue against her clan and their guardian demons before she is adequately prepared. Her death is painful.

Hyoue. At Amane's death he goes insane, her entire clan is slaughtered. The demons no longer had anyone to protect and either died themselves or turned feral and began to hunt humans.

Leaving any trace of Kagome's memory here would be fatal for all.

"I'm afraid that I am going to have to wipe out your memories," Aster said. "But don't worry, it doesn't hurt."

Aster opened her mind before Amane could react, and the priestess and Hyoue froze.

"Please," Hyoue's thoughts echoed in her mind, "Please make me forget about my feelings for her."

A peek into the demon's mind let Aster know that he was worried that his feelings for the girl would compromise his ability to protect her. And she was the most important thing in the world to him. His soul ached for the pain it caused him. But, it was against the rules for her to change the flow of events.

"I'm sorry," whispered Aster as she finished wiping their minds of Kagome and Inuyasha.

For a moment, a brief weak moment, Aster was tempted to peek into the future to see what life would have been like had Kagome decided to go off to the island with Inuyasha. It was her job to bring in the Higurashi girl, not contemplate what if's.

And now she had the girl, after all this time. Her job would soon be complete. Justice would be served.

So… why did she feel so sick to her stomach?

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Disclaimer Part II: _Her Majesty's Dog_ characters belong to Mick Takeuchi, _A Little Snow Fairy Sugar_ characters belong to Kadokawa Shoten, _Yu-Gi-Oh _characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi, _Yu Yu Hakusho_ characters belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

My list of disclaimers continues to grow.

Author's Notes: See? I reunited them. I'm not totally evil. By the way, I _love_ this manga (Her Majesty's Dog). I ran across it on accident in the bookstore. What can I say? I seem to be a sucker for dog demons.

Sorry it took so long to update. I was in a car accident and it has taken awhile till I was able to write again.


	7. Bebopping Along

Disclaimer Part I: The characters of Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me. Aster and Dayandhi also belong to me. As unlikely as it would seem at first glance, this is a continuation story, not AU.

Inuyasha: A Fugitive Fairytale

Chapter Seven

Bebopping Along

It was heartbreaking really.

The dog demon looked so forlorn, so beaten. And slightly pathetic. What happened to the raging foul mouthed demon who nearly destroyed the spaceship? Inuyasha was not a pleasant sort of person, or demon rather, to be around. In fact, he was horribly rude and arrogant. He was quite unlikable most of the time.

Yet there he sat.

Back against the door.

On the other side Kagome would be sitting in that exact position. Close enough to touch if not for the metal door that separated them. She spoke to him softly, telling him all about her journey. Entertaining him with stories of the little fairies, Salt and Pepper. Talking about how close she felt she was to figuring out how to create a weapon out of her own energy. Whispering how much she missed him and that everything would be fine now that they were together. Comforting him, though she is the one that sits in a jail cell awaiting an execution. Promising that they would get home.

Together.

The girl was interesting. Very few people were comfortable with demons, or half demons in Inuyasha's case. Yet she trusted him more than any other. And he, in turn, was head over heels in love with her. People were such foolish creatures. They deny love, thereby denying themselves happiness. And why? Fear? Pride?

In less than five hours, the starship would arrive at the Court. Kagome would be taken into custody and tried. And most likely convicted. A conviction would almost certainly lead to death. In the best of all possibly solutions, Kagome could be taken back to her home and her memories of the hanyou and the rest of her friends would be wiped out, and the portal to their worlds destroyed. It was the solution that Aster was currently trying to negotiate. She was meeting resistance from the prosecutor, who seemed to dearly enjoy the prosecuting aspect of his job.

Ah, what the two needed was a guardian angel.

Or, at the very least, a friend with a dubious background and skills in thievery. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a key card.

"Perhaps I could be of assistance."

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"Perhaps I could be of assistance."

"What do you want, Fox?" growled the hanyou in annoyance.

"Inuyasha!" said Kagome in an admonishing tone.

Kurama leaned against the wall of the cell and dangled a small rectangle object. "I thought you would be interested in helping your young miko to escape."

Inuyasha shook his head violently. He stood to guard the door. No way was he letting that fox near enough to Kagome to tempt her to try the door again. Hearing her yelp of pain when she tried had nearly killed him. "No. When she touches the wall it zaps her. We tried."

"What's going on out there, Inuyasha?"

"I would caution against noise," the obnoxious fox demon said.

Kurama shook his head, then flipped the card and slid it into a tiny slot in the side of the door. Amazingly, the door opened. Who cared how? Inuyasha reached out and grabbed Kagome, yanking her to him.

"Are you okay?"

Quickly he used all his senses to try and gauge her health. They had taken her from him before he had a chance to see for himself that she was unharmed. Sniff sniff. No scent of blood. No visible bruising. She looked too tired though, there were dark circles under her eyes (which were slightly bloodshot). Of course, that was from the crying she denied she was doing while she was trapped in that tiny room.

With a relieved sigh, Inuyasha drew Kagome into his arms, letting himself surround her. It was good to have her back. It had been too close. He had been too close to losing her.

"I'm fine, Inuyasha." She didn't let him go. In fact, she held on to him tighter.

"Ahem."

"Go away, Fox."

"Pardon me," he said anyhow, causing Kagome to turn her face from where it was buried in Inuyasha's chest (the fox would pay for that) to look at the red haired jerk. "But it would be wise if we did not linger. I am certain that our hosts will soon notice that the lock on the cell has been deactivated."

Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's hand and with one swing had her in her place on his back.

"There is a small emergency vehicle in the cargo bay," Kurama said.

It irked him, but Inuyasha followed anyhow.

"What about Pepper?"

Kurama smiled at Kagome, which rankled Inuyasha's nerves to no end. There was no reason to be smiling at Kagome. No reason at all! Because then Kagome will just smile back, and he'd get the wrong idea and it would be the whole wolf thing all over again! The last thing he needed was some other demon like Kouga thinking they could claim Kagome as their mate.

"Pepper wished to serve as a distraction while we made our escape, Higurashi-san. She also felt that finding her friend, Salt, easier since they have ways to track the Tripper."

Dang it, Kagome was smiling at the fox.

"It's Kagome, please call me Kagome."

Now why does the fox get a smile when he messes up her name, and Inuyasha gets sat when he calls her other names? It just didn't seem very fair.

Disgruntled, Inuyasha followed Kurama as they raced through the ship. It was irksome that the fox was quick. Not as fast as he was, but still… He was pretty decent in a fight. Not as good as he was. But he was so… so…. So _nice_! And he always smelled of roses and smiled. Kagome liked that sort of thing. Inuyasha couldn't wait to get off the ship to get away from Kurama. The more distance he put between the fox and Kagome, the better he'd feel.

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It was hard to believe, but she was actually going to miss the little fairy. Pepper was sweet and cheerful (except for when they lost Salt). And she was sweet. Hopefully they would meet up again. Of course, it was a strange thing to wish since if they met up again it would mean that they met up with the two time police. All the same, Kagome would like to see Pepper again. She, at least, had a good disposition, unlike the snarling dog demon in front of her. What was his problem?

"I said 'NO'!"

"Please, Inuyasha, be reasonable."

"I AM being reasonable, fox! I ain't killin' ya am I?"

"I only wish to help the two of yo…" 

"You mean help KAGOME!"

The miko shook her head. She didn't know what was the matter with Inuyasha. He was acting like Kurama was the enemy! But Kurama was the one who found their little emergency ship. And Kurama was the one who was most likely to have success in piloting the thing.

Something in Kurama's eyes flickered. And for just a moment, Kagome thought they were gold. She blinked and they were back to green. The stress must really be getting to her. And Inuyasha's absurd, and increasingly loud, accusations weren't helping.

"Just get in, Inuyasha."

Kurama smiled gently at her. "We are running out of time. Please, board the ship and let's be off while we still have an advantage. I am uncertain how long Pepper will be able to keep them from noticing that Kagome is no longer in her cell."

"I SAID…"

"SIT Boy!"

Whump.

It had to be done. Kurama looked a bit startled, but didn't ask any questions as he helped her drag the cursing dog demon into the small space craft.

Kurama quickly settled into the pilot's seat and began punching buttons after studying the buttons and other gizmos for a few seconds. Kagome was more worried about getting Inuyasha secured for take off. She'd seen those movies where the centrifugal force would slam people against the walls. She didn't want to risk having him getting a concussion, or breaking the walls of the ship with his hard head. Why couldn't he just let her tie him up in peace?

"Stop that! Quit it, Kagome!"

"Don't be a baby."

"Are you crazy? Get that thing off me!"

"INUYASHA!"

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"Just great."

Faye tore up the ticket in her hand. She knew she should pick up a new bad habit, gambling was expensive. She couldn't even remember the last time she had a winning streak. Now she had to decide if she wanted to head straight back to the Bebop, or wait until Spike and Jet cool off. After all, she was certain they found out about the missing woolongs by now.

But gambling was familiar. The world had changed so quickly all around her, gambling seemed to be the only thing that felt like she wasn't… lost. It gave her hope. Hope that she could finally pay off all those debts that would kill her once the creditors found her. How did she end up in such a mess?

"Oh leave it alone, Inuyasha! Kurama already apologized!"

Faye slid into the shadows as voices came closer. Quietly she drew her weapon. They seemed a bit too loud to be bounty hunters.

"I apologize about the fuel. I did not realize the gauge was reading empty."

"Stop apologizing, Kurama. It's over and done with. We've escaped so everything is fine, right?"

Escaped? Could they be convicts? Maybe her day was looking up. She could collect the bounty on these three and Spike and Jet would forget all about the few measly credits she borrowed.

Two of the three voices were male, they would be easy to take down. Men often were. Good thing their hormones more often than not did the thinking for them. The female was the wild card. Faye tucked her gun in the waistband at her back. Faye made sure that ample cleavage was showing before she stepped out of the shadows. The three stopped bickering when she appeared.

For a moment she was stunned. Which one was the female?

One had long silver hair with amber eyes. It was difficult to tell what the build was through all that fabric of his clothes. There were things on top of the head that almost looked like… ears? Cat ears? Dog ears maybe? She shook her head, _the things people do to their bodies to be different. _And was that a sword? Regardless of his pretty features, Faye was fairly certain that he was male. Another had long red hair with beautiful green eyes. The build was slim. The clothing was an interesting shade of pink. Or was it purple? Much too beautiful to be a boy. But the third one was definitely a girl. The short green skirt was the biggest clue. Maybe she misheard. Maybe two of them were female.

"Run out of fuel?"

The one with red hair smiled at her. "Yes. We have. Perhaps you could assist us."

No. That was no girl. She gave him her most sultry smile. "I could help."

"Really?" The girl nearly squealed. Really, these three were just too easy. The bounty was as good as hers.

"Of course. I can give you a ride on my ship. Anywhere in the galaxy you want to go."

"No. We don't need anyone's help."

Faye glanced at the silver haired one in genuine surprise. She wasn't about to let a surly oddity like him keep her away from her well deserved bounty. Shifting her stance slightly to show her body off to its best, she smiled sweetly at him.

"I just want to help."

"Feh." He turned from her and looked away. He almost looked… bored.

What?

It wasn't working?

Her charm wasn't working?

For one panicked moment Faye Valentine doubted herself. Flaunting her body and batting her eyes was the only way she had been able to survive. Flirting and fighting were her only two skills! He was watching her suspiciously. Then she noticed his protective stance. Ah, so he was protecting the girl. Well, that explained things. Relieved, she turned her attention to the pretty red head.

"My ship is quite large, another mouth to feed or two would be no big deal," she lied smoothly. They could barely make Jet's meals stretch between them. If Ein wasn't such a useful data dog, she was sure that the Welsh Corgi would be an entrée. "It is safer than hanging around a casino."

Surprisingly, it was the girl who answered. "Thank you so much for your offer. Give us a quick moment." The girl actually gave her a polite bow. How very strange.

Patiently she waited as the girl tried to convince her two companions that it would be safer traveling with the 'kind lady' than wandering around lost. The silver haired one was not quiet about his doubts. In fact, he exclaimed rather loudly that the one called Kurama could go with her and they would be rid of him. Interesting. Kurama suggested caution in dealing with her, but seemed to be leaning in the direction of following her onto the Bebop. In the end, the girl won out.

"Thank you for your kindness," the girl said with another bow. "We would really appreciate the lift."

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"I told you so."

"Oh, shut up, Inuyasha."

"You're way too gullible."

"Shut UP, Inuyasha!"

"Next you'll be inviting Naraku over to…"

"ONE MORE WORD, AND I SWEAR I'LL SAY '_IT'_!"

The dog demon looked sullen for a moment. Then opened his mouth once more, making Kurama cringe. Really, when would he learn?

"I'm just sayin' I was right, is all."

"SIT BOY!"

Perhaps he actually enjoyed that particular punishment. Surely no one would be idiotic enough to continually make the girl angry when she all she had to do was say one little word to make his body crash into the ground. It would be intrusive to ask, though he was very curious.

Kurama was broken out of his thoughts as he heard someone zooming towards them. It was a child, though he could not tell if it was a girl or a boy. The child was making zooming sounds as it raced around the room with arms that seemed made of elastic outstretched. The red hair was wild and untamed. The child's feet were bare. A pudgy little dog was trailing slowly after.

"Hi!" the child chirped as he or she stopped in front of their cell. It was a bit unnerving not being able to tell.

"Hello," Kurama greeted cordially.

"Oh," said Kagome as she heard the new voice. "Hello there. What's your name?"

"I'm Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV. But you can call me Ed."

So, he was a boy after all.

"Are you a prisoner here too?" Kagome asked.

The boy laughed gaily. "Ed's not a prisoner. Ed's Ed!" He turned at pat the dog on the head. "And Ein is Ein! Spike-person is Spike-person and Jet-person is Jet-person and Faye-Faye is Faye-Faye! And you…" He laughed again, "You are bad-person!"

"Bad person?" Kagome gasped. "We're not bad people."

"You are bad persons like Faye-Faye told Spike-person when Spike-person yelled about the missing woolongs. But," Ed laughed, "You are bad persons with fun toys!"

Ed zoomed around the room as the three captives watched warily. It was obvious that there was something a little… off… about Ed. He zoomed along until he picked up the Tripper on the other side of the room and zoomed back. It was a long trip back since he felt the need to zoom around the room twice, arms stretched wide, before coming in for a landing back in front of the cell.

"Ein and Ed played with your toy. It was lots of fun. But only for a minute, then Ed got bored. Does bad-persons have more fun toys for Ed and Ein?"

Before they could comment, Ed zoomed away again, taking the Tripper with him.

"That was one weird little girl," Inuyasha said as he joined Kurama and Kagome at the bars of the cell.

"Girl?"

He touched his nose. "Yeah. But she's crazy or something." He turned to Kagome, continuing to ignore Kurama's presence. It was a little irritating, but Kurama tried his best to not let it bother him. "Tell me again why we don't just bust out of here? These bars ain't nothin'."

Kagome sighed as she walked over to the other side of the cell and sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. "Because we don't know how to fly this ship. We don't know where we are or where we're going. We don't even know where to go if we did escape. So we're just going to… take a break. Get some sleep, you know? Then we'll get the Tripper back and figure out how to get out of here." Her voice softened, as it so often did when she spoke to the dog demon. "So just relax for a bit, Inuyasha."

Kurama stood at the bars and looked at the door. He listened as the dog demon grumbled then took his place beside the miko. Ed was… different, but not necessarily crazy. He had watched as she flipped open the Tripper and tapped onto it so quickly. Perhaps she was one of those unique individuals who were so incredibly smart that they existed in their own type of world, someone who had difficulties conforming to the normal world. She seemed to really know what she was doing. Though oddly enough, she was asking the little dog questions, and seemingly expecting an answer! And even odder, it seemed to understand exactly what she was saying.

He turned to share his thoughts with Inuyasha and Kagome. But the girl was already sound asleep, and Inuyasha was watching her with such a gentle look in his eyes. Kurama's heart clenched at the sight, and he quickly turned away. It felt wrong to intrude on such a private moment. Still, it wasn't as if he had anywhere to go to give them privacy…

"Think the kid can really use it?"

Kurama's eyebrows rose. He had never heard Inuyasha's voice that soft before. Obviously he was trying to not disturb Kagome. A glance showed that the hanyou was indeed addressing him.

"So it would appear."

There was a moment of silence. Then the rustle of fabric told Kurama that Inuyasha was moving. He gave the silver haired man a smile.

"Shippo has been with us a long time. He's part of the pack." Inuyasha turned his head to glare at Kurama, which wasn't all that surprising. "Just because she has a soft spot for the kit doesn't mean that she has a thing for fox demons."

Honestly. It took all his willpower to not roll his eyes. Instead he smiled. "I'm sure you're right."

That did not seem to alleviate any of the hanyou's anger. But before he could open his mouth to begin another tirade, a sound caused him to stop and twitch his ears.

"They're your problem! Deal with it!"

As one, the two turned towards the door where a male voice was shouting. Then they heard Faye shouting in return.

"MY problem?"

"You brought 'em on board, you get rid of them! We can barely feed the five of us, much less three more!"

"What do you want me to do? Toss them out the airlock?"

Kagome was awake and looked a little panicked. She jumped to her feet and went to stand with them. Kurama was going to make a comforting speech, but Inuyasha was suddenly blocking her, looking as if he was planning on going into battle. The fox demon sincerely hoped not. It would only serve to complicate matters.

Faye stalks into the room looking livid.

"You have NO idea what it is like living with such an arrogant and temperamental man," she tells Kagome.

At least that seemed to erase all traces of fear from the miko.

"Oh yeah?"

Faye mumbled about good for nothing men as she searched the room for a cigarette.

"Smoking really isn't good for you," Kagome said.

"I'm in a bad mood, girl. Don't make it worse." She lit the cigarette. "After sleeping for fifty years and dealing with these morons, I think I deserve a smoke."

"Sleeping for fifty years?" Kagome glanced at Inuyasha, but he was too busy watching Faye suspiciously to notice. 

Faye took a drag on the cigarette, blew it out and sighed, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, kid."

Kagome crossed her arms, her lips quirked into an amused smile. "Oh, I bet I'd be pretty open minded."

Faye didn't answer. Instead she paced the room and smoked. Then occasionally checked her weapon, which only served to raise the dog demon's hackles.

"DID YOU GET RID OF THEM YET?" yelled the male voice. 

With her foot, Faye kicked the door shut as hard as she could. Her clothing suggested she was a... well, for lack of a better term, woman of the world. Her weapon, and it was obvious that she could use it, spoke of being tough. But Kurama saw something in her eyes that made him suspect that hiding behind that exterior was a lost soul. 

"So," Kagome asked, "What's his problem?"

"Besides being obsessed with bringing to justice the man who murdered the love of his life? Who knows?" She glared angrily at the door where they all hear the man's now muted complaints.

"Small world." Kagome glared at Inuyasha before "It must be difficult being in love with a man who can't love you back since he's still obs..."

"Love? Spike?" Faye spun around quickly, her eyes wide with shock. "Are you crazy? I don't love that jerk!"

"Hey! He's trying to bring her murderer to justice!" Inuyasha defended.

"She's dead, Inuyasha. Dead! And she's still running his life! How is he supposed to ever be able to find love again if he doesn't move passed that?"

What happened? Only moments ago Kagome was practically cuddling up next to the hanyou. Their eyes had been gentle and filled with love and caring. Now the miko was stiff, with hands clenched, obviously trying to keep her temper. Inuyasha was in complete defensive mode.

"She was killed, Kagome! Murdered in cold blood! He just wants to see her avenged!"

"What do you mean LOVE?" Faye nearly screeched, yet was still ignored. Kurama was amused at the pitch her voice reached. Inuyasha's ear twitched in her direction, but he never took his scowl away from Kagome. 

"At the expense of taking over his life? If she loved him, she wouldn't want him to be miserable all the time. She'd want him to be happy. She'd WANT him to love again."

"After she's avenged! Then he'll be free. THEN he can be in love again." 

"What if she's never avenged, Inuyasha? What if that never happens? Is he going to never have love in his life again? Is that what she would really want?"

Fay leaned against the wall nearest to Kurama and spoke to him in a low voice. "They aren't talking about me anymore, are they?"

Kurama smiled. "I am unsure if they were ever speaking of your situation."

"Is she supposed to wait forever for his heart to be free, Inuyasha? How fair is that?" She was nearly shouting and perilously close to tears. Kurama was afraid that he was going to have to step in. Fortunately, Inuyasha's eyes softened, his posture relaxed, and he moved to block her from their view.

"Not forever, Kagome. Just... just a little bit longer. Please."

Suddenly if felt as if he were intruding on a private conversation. So Kurama turned to Faye, who was watching the scene with a posture that said she couldn't care less, but eyes that were longing. Kurama decided that their welcome was just about worn out, so it was time for them to be moving on. He smiled warmly at their captor.

"Pardon me," he said, "But perhaps I have a solution to your problem?"

She was still watching the couple as they talked in low tones. "Hmm?"

"Your acquaintance seems to wish for us to quickly depart, and we would also like to be on our way. Your companion, Edward, hold the solution in her hands."

Faye blinked, then turned her eyes onto Kurama. "Oh yeah?"

"She holds a device that belongs to us, one that would let us leave immediately."

"How?"

Kurama held his smile in place. "I am unsure of the mechanics, but it seems to transport us from one place to the next. Edward seems to have figured out how it works. If she could explain it to us, then we will be on our way."

Faye looked at them suspiciously, then shrugged and yelled for Edward. She moved away from the wall to open the door and yelled again. Kurama looked over towards Kagome and Inuyasha, and saw the young miko hugging him. Inuyasha's arms were around her, practically hiding her from view. He was looking over at Kurama with a look that was both smug and warning. In fact, he looked as if he expecting to be challenged. How very strange. Anyone around the two for more than ten minutes would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were fated to belong together. He loved her and she loved him. Why in the world would he expect that to be challenged?

Finally zooming sounds could be heard, and Edward flew back into the room.

"Hey, Ed. These guys say you have something of theirs."

"Pretty shiny! Lots of buttons! Look, Faye-Faye!"

"Yeah, just give it back to them."

Edward looked sad for a very brief moment. Then she tossed the Tripper to Kurama before spinning in a circle.

"That's ok. Another one is coming. I'll play with that one."

"Another one?" asked Kurama.

Edward grinned at him. "Sure! Ein says the blinky dot means another one is on its way!"

"Blinky dot?" Kurama examined the screen. And sure enough, there was a dot beginning to blink faintly. Then he blinked. "Ein said? The dog?"

"Ein is smart!"

Just then, the little corgi waddled into the room. Kurama stared at the dog, and the dog stared back. Once more, he felt as if he was being watched carefully, as if he were going to challenge him. There were stranger things in the world, so he just accepted it.

"Thank you," he told the dog. "Now, could you be so kind as to explain how it works?"

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They stole her ship.

STOLE!

It wasn't very smart to add theft of a space craft to her list of criminal offenses. If she didn't know any better, she would almost suspect that Pepper spilled her hot cocoa on the control panel on purpose. But that's just silly. Pepper was too cute and sweet to do anything like that. Still, it was very bad timing. The short made it impossible to tell that the hatch had been opened. The three could have been missing for minutes or hours before being found out.

Then her weapon had been misplaced. The doors shorted out. And the communicators stopped working. Well, the warranty must be going out on the ship. Maybe they'll give her a new one when she gets back.

Loud cursing greeting her as she materialized on the deck of the ship harboring the criminals. She was used to guns being drawn on her, but was a little worried about Pepper. Quickly she snagged the little fairy out of the air and tossed her to Dayan, as she raised her own weapon.

"What's going on?"

Another person entered the room. Through the open door she saw Kagome look up and wave to her, right before they blinked out. She sighed. The fates were against her. They didn't even have time to read Kagome her rights!

"Where did they go?"

"Who?" asked the woman.

"Kagome Higurashi. She's a wanted fugitive."

The woman looked surprised, then shot the two men a smug look. "I TOLD you so!"

"What is she wanted for?" asked the man with startling green hair that seemed to defy gravity. It was an interesting color of green. Aster wondered if she would be able to recreate it for her own hair. "How much is the reward?"

"Reward?" Aster turned her attention away from his hair. "Kagome is wanted for crimes against time."

"Against... time?"

Aster quickly weaved the spell to freeze the crew and scanned them. She saw their future before Kagome, and she compared it to the future after their meeting with Kagome. The corners of her mouth drew down in a frown.

Edward. Their existence was half forgotten by the time they disappeared. Her life remained unaffected.

Jet. Never met the suspect. His life remained unaffected.

Faye. She would still point her gun at Spike when he tries to leave. But Kagome's words affected her, even if they were not actually about her own feelings. So in a final push of desperation, she admits that she does love Spike to give him a reason to stay. To live for.

Spike. He would see Faye as a woman, and as someone who could love him. He steps forward and he kisses her.

Their interlude is brief, but passionate.

However, their story has the same ending. Nothing changed. Spike could not give up his quest for vengeance, and Faye could not give him reason enough to change his mind. She had briefly hoped that she would have at least been gifted with a child so that she could keep a piece of him with her, but even that was denied her. Her fifty years of suspended animation had taken a toll on her system, and she would never bear a child.

"I... I don't know what to do, Dayan," she whispered.

Pepper landed lightly on her shoulder, peering up into her face. The little fairy patted her cheek in a comforting manner. Dayan placed his hand on her other shoulder. It was warm and comforting, but it did not give her the answer she needed.

"You'll do the right thing, Aster."

Her lip trembled, despite her strict order for it to stay firm. She scanned Faye's future once more, for it seemed that she alone would be most affected by Kagome's visit. She had lived through so much. Suffered so much. Already she was desperately searching for memories that she had lost. Would erasing a few more memories do any damage? Could she accidentally bring forth memories that were not meant to yet be recalled? Or worse yet, what if she accidentally permanently deleted them?

Aster closed her eyes. The memory of their time together, though, would be cherished... by both of them. A small spark of happiness in such a hard and violent world. But wouldn't it be kinder to erase her memories? Their paths in life did not change, but at least Faye would be spared some heart ache in the aftermath.

"I'm not sure I know what the right thing is anymore."

It wasn't a decision she wanted to make. Her orders were clear, but her heart ached so much. When had things become so difficult? When did right and wrong seem so… muddied? But her job wasn't to provide people with happy endings. Her job was to use her gifts to make sure that time wasn't altered from the path it was supposed to take. That was her job.

Slowly opening her eyes, Aster began weaving a spell.

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Disclaimer Part II: _Cowboy Bebop_ was written by Keiko Nobumoto, _A Little Snow Fairy Sugar_ characters belong to Kadokawa Shoten, _Yu-Gi-Oh _characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi, and _Yu Yu Hakusho_ characters belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

My list of disclaimers continues to grow.

Author's Notes:

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. Even though I knew the direction I wanted it to go, it still only plodded along. Not exactly writers block, but something similar. Possibly because I'm not as comfortable writing Cowboy Bebop. I ended up working on chapters to other stories until I could get this one working.


	8. I Choose You Inuyasha

Disclaimer Part I: The characters of Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me. Aster and Dayandhi also belong to me. As unlikely as it would seem at first glance, this is a continuation story, not AU.

Inuyasha: A Fugitive Fairytale

Chapter Eight

I Choose You, Inuyasha!

"Interdimensional portal?"

"Magic."

"Nanotechnology, perhaps?"

"Magic."

Kagome sat on the ground as Kurama and Inuyasha discussed the little ball she held in her hands. Well... Kurama discussed, Inuyasha adamantly chose his position on the subject and refused to budge. She suspected that Kurama was continuing to list off suggestions to irritate her hanyou. What was it about fox demons picking on Inuyasha?

"What kind of Pokemon is he?"

"What?" Kagome nearly dropped the Pokeball as the boy called Ash dropped down next to her.

"Your Inuyasha. What is he?"

"Pokemon?"

They arrived in the middle of a forest yesterday morning and met a young boy named Ash Ketchum and his strange little yellow pet, Pikachu. Inuyasha wasn't too crazy about adding another couple of members to their travels. She wasn't even sure where the boy Brock was after Inuyasha threatened his life after he propositioned her in a way that reminded her of Miroku. Well, no... he didn't grope. He held on to her hands more like Kouga did. She winced, deciding to keep that observation to herself.

"Well, sure. At first I thought it was weird that he talked," Ash laughed, Kurama and Inuyasha stopped arguing and stared at him (Inuyasha in horror and Kurama with amusement), "But I remembered that there are a few Pokemon who DO talk, like Meowth."

"Inuyasha... a Pokemon?"

"Then I thought it was weird how he was never in his Pokeball, till you told me you didn't have one. Pikachu doesn't like Pokeball's either."

"Yeah..." Inuyasha was glaring at her. "I doubt Inuyasha would like being in one of those things either. But, you see... he's not a Pokemon. He's..." There was no hiding his ears. Or his teeth. Or his claws. "Well, he's a half demon."

Ash considered Inuyasha for a moment. "A humanoid Dark type then, huh?" He didn't flinch as Inuyasha cracked his knuckles and growled. "And a Fighting type I would bet. Professor Oak will know. Maybe when we get to the next town we can give him a call. I'm sure he would be glad to help!" He grinned suddenly. "You might have even discovered a whole new breed!"

"Inuyasha really isn't a Pokemon, Ash." 

He gave her a grin and laughed, as if she had told a funny joke. "With those teeth and claws, of course he is. And, of course, the ears are a dead giveaway. He's a special one though. How evolved is he?"

Kagome bit her lip to keep from responding with a smart alec comment to that. Sometimes she wondered how evolved her dear friend was. Especially when he seemed to resort to dog like behaviors, like kicking dirt at Ash while they slept. And the growling.

"Has he learned many new abilities since you got him?"

"Um... well... he HAS learned many new abilities since we met... but he's not a Pokemon."

"Do you guys fight many opponents? Have you won any badges?"

"We... uh... fight lots of battles... but I'm not sure what you mean by badges."

Ash reached into his bag, causing Inuyasha to crouch into a position ready to pounce, and brought out a container holding several shiny objects. Seeing that the boy wasn't trying to harm Kagome, Inuyasha relaxed back into his usual irritated and impatient squat.

"These are my badges." He looked at Inuyasha, then whispered to Kagome. "Though it looks like he might need some more training. He doesn't seem to mind well."

At that Kagome had no choice but to laugh.

"He's not your only Pokemon, is he? You'll need more than one if you want to win any badges."

Kagome was still clutching her middle and giggling as Inuyasha appeared between her and Ash. He stared down at the boy with blazing eyes of gold and a snarl on his lips.

"Kagome don't need nobody but me."

But Ash wasn't intimidated. Kagome wiped her eyes and tried to control her laughter as she stood up to put a hand on Inuyasha's sleeve. It wouldn't do for him to alienate their new friend. According to the Tripper, Bakura should be somewhere in this region. It would be helpful to have someone with them that knew the area.

"You need at least three to compete in the next league battle."

"We're not really here to compete..."

"It's okay if you lose, Kagome," Ash said, "But you won't know how strong you are 'till you try."

Kagome smiled. "I appreciate your... enthusiasm... but we're really just here to find a friend of ours. Then we'll be on our way."

"But everyone will be at the battle. You're sure to find your friend if you're there. Maybe we'll even get to battle each other." Ash grinned. "I'll make sure to go easy on you."

"Yes, but we... did you say you'd go easy on me?" Kagome narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Inuyasha wince and take a step backward. Her aura flared, and the dog demon took another step back. 

"Sure. After all, I'm on my way to becoming a Pokemon Master!" 

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"Why do you need to catch a Pokemon, Kagome?" asked Inuyasha in a voice suspiciously close to a whine.

He heard her say something about punk kids and overblown egos as she stomped around in the woods. Whatever these Pokemon creatures were, they certainly weren't going to just come up and asked to be trapped into those tiny little balls. And Kagome was making so much noise that it would be impossible to sneak up on anything. However, he wasn't going to be the one to tell her that.

"Perhaps we should help Kagome find these creatures. Between the two of us, I'm sure we can catch her some."

"We don't need YOUR help. I can find her all the Pokethings she needs." Inuyasha's temper was on a short enough fuse without that fox opening up his mouth. No way was he letting that interloper catch a single thing for Kagome. She wasn't HIS to take care of.

Kurama, annoyingly, smiled gently and shrugged his shoulders. Then he put his hands in his pockets and trailed after Kagome. Inuyasha had no choice but to follow.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

KAGOME!

Pushing past the fox demon, Inuyasha raced to Kagome's side. He allowed himself one moment to thank all the gods above that she was okay. Then the next many moments were dedicated to being extremely annoyed with her.

"What are ya screamin' for, wench?"

Kagome was beaming at a tiny little creature that was staring up at her with huge blue eyes, squealing in excitement. It looked a lot like Shippo when he turned into a pink balloon.

"Jigglypuff?" the creature asked curiously.

"Did it say something?"

"I think so, Inuyasha... but I don't know what it means."

"Jiggly?"

"There it goes again."

"Yes, Inuyasha, I heard it. I'm standing right here. Oh, Kurama!" Inuyasha's ears flattened against his skull as she yelled for their companion. "Kurama, what do you think it is saying?" It bugged him that she would even ask his opinion.

The red haired nuisance smiled at her and then studied the little pink round creature. "I am uncertain. Though it seems that it must be a Jigglypuff."

"Oh yeah?" snarled Inuyasha. "And just what makes YOU the expert?"

He smiled that infuriating calm smile again. It was really getting on Inuyasha's nerves. "It seems that with the exception of the Meowth that Ash mentioned, all Pokemon seem to only be able to say their own name, or some part of it. Pikachu, for instance, says 'pika', 'chu', and 'pikachu' if you recall."

Inuyasha crossed his arms. Was this wimp calling him an idiot?

"JIGGLY!"

Startled by the change in tone, Inuyasha quit glaring at his rival long enough to glance back at the weird looking Jigglypuff thing. Instead of looking confused, it now looked excited. And was pulling something out of... just where did he pull that out of? It didn't exactly have pockets. And what was that stick thing it was holding?

"A microphone?" Kurama and Kagome said in unison. That earned them both a glare.

Suddenly, the little creature began talking (or was it singing?) into the microphone.

"Jiiiiggly puff jiggly puff..."

It was definitely singing. And the worst singing he ever heard in his life. The noise was horrendous! Kurama was wincing, and Kagome was struggling to keep a polite smile on her face. Inuyasha was clamping his hands over his ears in an effort to drown out the noise.

"...jiggly puff jiggly..."

His eyes drooped... he couldn't help it. It felt as if he were being put under a spell. He saw Kagome sway. Then he saw her knees buckle. He dove for her before she could hit the ground. But he was so tired... so drained of energy... that he could only hold her tight next to his side as sleep claimed him.

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Waking up in Inuyasha's arms seemed more like a dream than reality. But the rocks digging into her side let her know that she wasn't dreaming. Even though she was now awake, she hadn't moved a muscle. Inuyasha's arm was around her, locking her to his side. One of her legs had draped over his, and her arm was slung across his chest. She could even feel his breath teasing her hair. More than anything else, she'd like to stay just where she was and enjoy this for as long as it lasted. After all, she was so warm and comfortable. And felt so very safe.

But she could hear Kurama beginning to stir. Inuyasha would be sure to throw an embarrassed fit and not be able to look her in the eyes for days if he knew this is how they fell asleep. Worse, if Kurama saw it, his mood would be sour for weeks. Her hanyou really hated being embarrassed.

Slowly she took a deep breath, preparing herself to move from his arms. Unable to help herself, she looked up into his face, needing to see him and memorize this one peaceful moment to carry with her. However... his eyes were open!

Looking up, she found herself lost in his eyes. They were soft and gentle. There was something else behind those eyes. Yearning? Or was she simple projecting her own feelings? Of their own volition, her hand reached up and touched a lock of his silver hair. It froze once her eyes left his gaze and traveled to the rest of his face.

"What the...?"

She wasn't sure who said it first. Her or Inuyasha.

"What happened to your face?" Kagome screeched.

"My face? What happened to yours?"

"MINE?"

"Are you alright, Kagome?"

The miko turned her attention to Kurama, who was in the process of standing up and brushing off his clothes. When he looked up, she saw that his face, too, was covered in black marks. They looked like a child's scribble. Then she heard laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha... looks like you guys ran into Jigglypuff." Ash grinned at her as he tossed her five Pokeballs. "Jigglypuff doesn't like it when you fall asleep when it sings. I can't tell you how many times it scribbled on me. But don't worry, it washes off."

Inuyasha had caught all the Pokeballs that Ash had thrown. It looked like he planned on chucking them back at the kid's head, so she gently took them from him. She had to agree with Inuyasha, the Pokeballs MUST be made of magic. It was the only explanation how creatures could fit in it, and how it could shrink down to something so tiny she could put in her skirt pocket. And goodness knows the designers of skirts didn't make pockets that could hold much.

"I had some extra, I thought you could use them. You can keep up to six Pokemon with you. The rest get put into storage."

"Storage?"

"Yeah, I transfer mine to Professor Oak."

"How?"

Ash scratched his head. "I dunno... it just sort of happens."

"Teleportation," whispered Kurama who appeared at her side.

"Don't be an idiot," came the caustic voice at her other side. "They use magic."

Kagome couldn't wait to find Bakura, grab him and the Tripper, and get themselves all back to where they belonged. Magic or advanced technology, she didn't care. She just wanted to go home. She missed her family, both her family in her own time, and her family in the past. The sooner they found Bakura, the sooner they could go home. So she needed to catch her a couple of Pokemon and get to the city to at least register for the battle. That way she could poke around to her hearts content without anyone being suspicious.

"Thanks, Ash," she said.

"No problem, Kagome. We'll catch you some before we get there."

"I'LL catch them for her," snarled Inuyasha. He really had to learn to talk without all the snarling and growling before he scared off Ash. Though the kid didn't seem to be scared of anything. Kagome was beginning to question his sanity.

"Of course you'll help her," said Ash cheerfully, "A Pokemon is caught by fighting another Pokemon. When they are weakened, Kagome will throw the ball at them and capture them."

"Inuyasha isn't a Poke..."

"Give it up, Kagome," Inuyasha grunted, ignoring Kurama's soft laughter. "Let's go catch some."

"GOTTA CATCH 'EM ALL!"

Kagome frowned at Ash. Really, there must be something wrong with him.

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A fox? She had to go and catch a fox. What was it with her and those mangy creatures? First she lets Shippo latch on to her. Then that red headed menace. Now this thing. She wouldn't even let him fight it very hard. She pretty much just coo-ed at it until hopped into her lap. Kurama was leaning against a tree watching her. He better not be getting any funny ideas into his head.

"You caught an Evee?" Ash was smiling a little too brightly at Kagome for Inuyasha's peace of mind. "Those are rare! You don't see many of them running around in the wild."

"Isn't she cute?"

"Feh."

"But you should probably contain it into the Pokeball."

Kagome didn't even bother glancing at the kid as she rubbed noses with the furry little creature. Inuyasha had a sinking feeling that she was bonding with the creature. "She doesn't want to."

"But... that's how it's done."

Kagome looked disdainfully at the Pokeball sitting next to her. Isn't that like putting her into a cage? How does she fit in there? What if she's claustrophobic? How does she breathe?" She tickled the lucky ball of fur and spoke in a sing song voice, "I'm not trapping her in a ball. She's my cutie wootie pie. She doesn't like being trapped in a ball does she? Noooo she doesn't!"

Ash looked at Kagome uncertainly for a moment. Then he smiled. "Pikachu doesn't like it in the ball either. He doesn't go in unless he's sick or hurt. It keeps him safe that way. The only way to catch them and have them be yours is if you capture them with the Pokeball. If you don't do it, then it won't be yours." She opened her mouth to say something, but Ash continued. "And if you don't have any Pokemon, then you can't battle."

It was a pain the see the kid win an argument. Kagome apologized to the little fox looking thing, then she set it down, apologized again, and threw the Pokeball at it. Almost as soon as the capture was finished, Kagome was releasing the Evee. The thing was no worse for wear and happily jumped back into Kagome's arms. Lucky fox.

"Evee's can evolve into all sorts of types depending on the stone you evolve them with."

Ash was explaining evolution to Kagome, but Inuyasha tried to tune him out. Until he heard Kagome's voice turn sharp.

"Why in the world would I want to change anything about Evee?" 

"Well... they can learn different attacks. And changing the type would give them an edge over other types. Like if you chose to turn it into a fire type, it would be strong against grass types."

"But weaker against water." 

"Well... sure... but..."

Kagome's voice rises a bit and she pokes her finger at the kid. "There is nothing wrong with her the way she is! Why do you people always think that changing someone is going to solve anything? She's fine the way she is! Leave him alone!"

"Us people? Him?"

Inuyasha turned his head to face away from Kagome. Even though it would have been amusing to see the blush that was obviously there from her stammering, he didn't want her to see his own pink cheeks. It had been a long time since he thought about becoming full demon. Every since the day Kagome told him that she liked him just the way that he was (not to mention the kiss that came shortly after at Kaguya's castle to bring back his humanity when he was forced into demon form). It no longer felt like an obsession, like the goal he had to reach. But it seemed like it wasn't far from Kagome's thoughts.

"We better go snag some more if we want enough to do the battle thing," Inuyasha said as an excuse to get moving. He could feel Kurama watching him carefully, and it got on his nerves.

They hadn't gone very far when a weird looking bug jumped at them. His first instinct was to slice it up for making Kagome scream. But Ash had exclaimed that it was a wonderful opportunity to level up the Evee, so reluctantly he let the little thing fight. It bothered him that Kagome was looking worried. She didn't know what moves to call out to the fox, and the only way it would fight is if it was commanded. Inuyasha felt a bit bad for the creature. He couldn't imagine being bound like that. Sure he had the rosary where Kagome could 'sit' him, but it wasn't like she really controlled him. Especially not in battle.

"Inuyasha!"

The creature had fallen, and Kagome was racing to scoop it up in her arms. Ash was trying to stop her, but she easily slipped from him. It was physically painful to see the anguish on her face. The blame she placed on herself. Quickly Inuyasha dispatched the bug.

"Er... you should catch it now that it has fainted."

Inuyasha blinked at Ash's words. Fainted? No way. He KILLED the thing! He looked close. Sure enough, the thing wasn't dead! That was impossible though!

"I don't want it!" Kagome cradles the Evee to her chest, tears streaking down her face.

"But... you'd have a second Pokemon... and bug types are strong agai..."

"I SAID I DON'T WANT IT!"

"But..."

I believe that it would unwise to pursue this conversation," Kurama said, ruining what could have been a very interesting battle scene of another sort.

Ash stared at Kagome with unbelieving eyes.

"I... er... have a spare potion if you want to. Evee will be fine."

That doused the fire in her eyes. Ash showed Kagome (with Kurama hovering) how to give the Pokemon the potion. They were all a bit startled that the creature was instantly better. They talked about the healing. Then they talked about the different attacks the Evee had. Ash even showed her his Pokedex. Inuyasha just wished they'd shut up so they could get this whole thing over with and go home. Though he'd never admit it, the Evee reminded him of Shippo and was making him feel a little homesick for his friends. But only just a little.

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In their time together, Kurama saw many strange things. Nothing, however, was as amusing as watching an entourage of adorable looking Pokemon trailing after a surly dog demon. A Growlithe and Poocheyna trotted happily at his heels, oblivious to the fact that he was ignoring them. A Sentret and a Pachirisu scampered close behind, though the ferret and squirrel looking creatures were prone to dash off to explore something before dashing back to their place in the pack. The Evee and Skitty walked a little closer to Kagome than to Inuyasha, but they still seemed to follow his lead. A monkey type of creature, the Chimchar, perched itself on his shoulder, and strangely enough, after just one complaint the dog demon made no moves to unseat it. Wobbling last in the line, was an odd little smelly creature, a Stunky.

However, just as amusing was listening to Ash plead with Kagome to please put the Pokemon in their balls, and that she could only have six in her possession at one time. He tried to explain about sending them to a professor he knew, but Kagome was having none of it. The girl was not acquiring a battle force, she was adopting furry little children.

And Inuyasha was allowing it.

"You really need to think about your team," Ash continued to say to the young miko. "You need a balanced team. Right now you have two fire Pokemon, one dark, one electric, one poison, and three normal. It's not a strong set up. You'd be weak against all sorts of other types. And you can only have six with you. You have to send three of them to the professor!"

Three? Kurama counted only eight Pokemon... oh yes. Inuyasha. The young Pokemon master still believed Inuyasha to be a Pokemon as well. It would have been entertaining to see him try to 'capture' the dog demon.

"You should have a water type in there, and a grass type. Or a flying type. So many of the same types make for a really weak group. You'll never win a battle that way." He continued to point out Kagome's problems as a Pokemon trainer. "And you haven't even really battled with them! You have to battle with them to make them stronger. That's the only way they learn new moves."

Somehow, Kagome had managed to 'capture' her little group of Pokemon just by charming them. Technically none of them had actually been 'captured', except for Evee. And she had only been in the ball for moments before being released. Ash couldn't understand Kagome's reluctance to put them in the balls or to send them to the professor he continues to talk about. Kagome could not understand how he could trap them in such small spaces then send them off to just sit around until he decided he needed them.

Kagome's pack of Pokemon seemed to take great exception to the young boy irritating her. The few times he raised his voice at her he found himself with bites to the ankles, scratches, an electrical shock, and once he received the very... pungent reminder to not mess with the miko. Though the smell of the Stunky caused Inuyasha to feel ill, he made sure to be extra nice to it after Ash got sprayed.

For just a moment, Kurama felt a little jealous. The relationship between the hanyou and the human was very interesting. Very close. He could almost see the ties that bound them. He had friends, of course. In his own world. But even the relationship between Yuuske and Kieko was nothing like this. The dog demon knew every move that the miko made. Not because he was consciously keeping track of her, but because he was _instinctively _keeping track of her. His ears would constantly flick in her direction, his eyes would seek her, even his nose was always on alert. Kurama wondered if he was always this aware of her, or if it was the scare of nearly losing her that made him so hypersensitive to her presence. Kagome seemed oblivious, so likely this was nothing new.

Kurama smiled wistfully. What would it be like to have someone like that? Someone you would live and die for. Someone who held your heart so completely. Someone who's smile held more power than any enchantment over you.

There was nothing extraordinary about Kagome. Yes, she was very pretty and very kind, but so are many girls, so that was nothing special. Yes, she had some spiritual purifying powers. But there were many females much more powerful than her out there. She was... to be honest... just a girl. And to her, this hanyou, was just a boy. It was heartening. Kurama held his own demon inside, and had long given up the notion of a normal relationship with a normal girl. So he focused on his job and protecting his friends. He never thought that perhaps there was someone out there just for him.

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"If one more person throws one of those balls at my head..." Inuyasha growled, "I can't be held responsible for my actions."

Kagome laughed. She couldn't help it.

"I don't get it," Ash said as he scratched his head. "You're in an awfully good mood for someone who didn't qualify for the tournament."

Evee rubbed her head against her hand, begging for attention. Kagome shrugged her response to Ash. She was enjoying seeing the Pokemon play far too much to worry about winning a battle. Besides, she didn't want any of them to get hurt unnecessarily. It wasn't as if they were trying to defeat demons or anything.

Besides, nothing in the world was as cute as Pokemon trying to climb all over Inuyasha. She could watch that all day and never get bored. Though the Chimchar and Growlithe seemed far too inclined to start fires just to see Inuyasha snicker. Even the Pachirisu, which seemed like such a cute innocent little thing, would shock people (not life threatening or too painful) just to get a reaction. Really, Inuyasha was a bad influence on them.

It was hard to work up any anger though. Not when they all looked so cute. That's probably how Shippo got away with the tricks he played on people. His cuteness was a weapon itself. Of course, since the mischief these guys were getting into wasn't meant to annoy Inuyasha, he found them much more entertaining.

"Our pack just got bigger," Inuyasha said as he dropped down beside her. The Sentret trying to get his attention ran in circles before finally giving up and chasing after the Poocheyna. "You're gonna need a bigger bag for the extra ramen."

"..."

Inuyasha thought they were taking all the Pokemon?

There was no way... they just couldn't... could they? No. It wouldn't be fair to them. Who knew what dangers they might come up against? Plus... this was their home. And sooner or later, they would miss it.

"I have good news and bad news."

Kagome was grateful for Kurama's interruption. She looked up at the young man and sighed. Why was there never JUST good news? Why did bad news always have to follow?

"According to the Tripper, Bakura is very close."

"He is?" Kagome jumped to her feet. Inuyasha was already up and sniffing the air trying to locate him by scent. "Where?"

Kurama looked off to the east and nodded in that direction. Inuyasha sprinted off before Kurama even had a chance to say a word. "In the stands over there, most likely. But he is not the only one who is nearby."

Kagome groaned. "What terrible timing!"

Clapping her hands she got the attention of her small fuzzy group. Like good little soldiers (or children), they all sat down and watched Kagome intently. She wondered how much they understood of what she was saying. The seemed unusually intelligent.

"Okay you guys, I have a mission for you."

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"Honestly, Pepper, please stop fussing with my hair. I know it was an accident."

The little fairy had tied tiny little ribbons all in Aster's hair. Unfortunately, sometimes they were tied to other things as well. It took nearly two hours to get her hair untangled from the bed and her night clothes when she woke up that morning. The fairy was cute, but she really did seem to get in to a lot of stuff. She would scold her for making them fall so far behind in the mission, but Aster just didn't have the heart. Every time she thought about it, Pepper's sweet face and adorable smile would pop into her head and her heart just melted. It was a good thing her superiors couldn't see her.

"What in the world?"

Aster stopped at Dayan's words. She looked in the direction he was pointing and actually laughed. It was terribly unprofessional, but she couldn't help it. A pack of cute creatures had Bakura surrounded. The thief was glaring at them.

"When my powers return, I shall banish you ALL to the Shadow Realm!"

"I need a picture of this," Dayan said as he searched his pocket for something to capture this moment in time. She hoped he forgot it on the ship. She really REALLY didn't want to be caught on film with her hair looking like it had a life of its own.

There was a tiny gasp in Aster's ear. Then a surprisingly loud shout from such a tiny creature.

"SALT!"

Aster watched as the dark haired fairy darted towards where Bakura was trying to shake the dog looking creature's teeth from the fabric of his pant leg and pry the cat looking creature's claws out of his shoulder. A bright light flew from Bakura's shoulder and met Pepper halfway.

"PEPPER!"

Annoyingly, tears filled her eyes at the sight. Pepper was reunited with her friend at last. Pretending to wipe dust from her eye, she swiped at a tear before it could fall. When she looked up, she saw Kagome watching her from across the field. The girl smiled at her warmly. In understanding. She really wished that she didn't like the girl so much. You weren't supposed to LIKE the criminals you bring in. But the more Aster saw of Kagome, the more she hated her job.

Quickly she scanned the group.

Ash: His life would not be changed by Kagome. He didn't understand her, and forgot her nearly as soon as she left. She would soon be replaced by another girl and Brock would rejoin him once Inuyasha disappears.

Growlithe and Poocheyna: They would grow depressed and die after Inuyasha and Kagome leave. They would feel abandoned by their family, their pack. They would stop eating, and just lay together waiting for Kagome and Inuyasha to come back.

Sentret: He would always be fearful that he would be abandoned. Though another Pokemon trainer would eventually capture him, he would always be nervous and untrusting. Eventually the trainer would tire of him and release him into the wilds again.

Chimchar and Pachirisu: The fire and electric Pokemon would run wild, and their harmless fun would turn into something much darker as they no longer have Kagome to temper their behavior. In an effort to find that sense of 'family' that they lost, their mischief would escalate. Eventually a call would be sent out to put them down.

Skitty: This Pokemon would refuse to ever be captured again. She wanders from place to place, continually searching for her lost family. Her temper would cause others to fear her, and want nothing to do with her. She would die lonely and alone.

Stunky: This Pokemon would follow Skitty for the rest of his life. Always just out of reach. Hoping that their family would be reunited. He would be caught, twice in fact. But he would fight against the trainer, literally causing the worst stink. Skitty would die first. Then Stunky would stay with her, not knowing where else to go or what else to do. Then he, too, would perish.

Evee: The poor little Pokemon would not survive the heartbreak of losing Kagome.

No question about it this time. Their memories would all have to be erased. All of them. As Dayan began quoting his lines to arrest Kagome, Aster began weaving the spell that would erase their memories. Since she could only do one at a time, she chose Evee to start with. That one's fate would be the worst.

"Watch out!"

Before Aster could even completely open her eyes she was knocked to the ground. She found herself staring into the eyes of a very VERY angry Evee. How in the world had she ever thought such a scary looking creature was cute? It looked ready to tear her arms off. Its teeth were bared and the hair was standing up. It looked ready to attack.

"Evee!"

"ASTER!"

Aster didn't take her eyes off of the animal sitting on her chest, but she could hear that Kagome was racing towards her and Dayan sounded slightly panicked.

"Get them!" Whether she was talking to Kagome to get the snarling Evee off her chest, or telling Dayan to capture Kagome, she wasn't really sure. She just hoped that someone did something... FAST.

Everything happened rather quickly after that. There was yelling and scuffling. Aster jumped to her feet once the Pokemon was scooped up off of her. She ran towards Kagome with her weapon drawn, Dayan already bearing down on Inuyasha. They dodged ferocious furry creatures. They would be spending the evening in the medical unit, that's for sure. Inuyasha grabbed Kagome, Kagome was reaching for the Tripper Bakura held, and Kurama was trying to subdue the tomb robber.

Then everyone was gone.

Well, not everyone. They were still in a field filled with Pokemon trainers. Some were watching with interest, but only until the next battle began. Dropping her head down, Aster wondered just how many times she was going to have to watch them leave. Just as she was beginning to feel really sorry for herself, she felt Dayan's hand on her shoulder.

"You okay?"

She nodded. Not quite trusting her voice.

He sighed. "They're gone."

A sharp laugh escaped. She swallowed it before it became tears. Dayan didn't have to tell her, but Pepper was gone as well. She would really miss the little fairy. Well, she would see her again. Once they caught Kagome. Then they'd have to go through the long process of taking everyone back to their own worlds.

Sad howling and whines brought her head up.

The Pokemon.

They were already mourning the loss of Kagome and Inuyasha. Wiping her eyes, Aster began erasing their memories. They would go back to the forests or woods or fields and they would find Pokemon trainers or live out their lives in the wild. They wouldn't remember Kagome or Inuyasha.

Chimchar was the first she saw, she quickly erased his memory. She did quick double checks that his future was back on their original path then turned to the next one. Skitty was next. Then Sentret. Then Stunky. Poocheyna bit her twice before she was able to erase his memory.

But... where were Growlithe, Pachirisu, and Evee?

Just fantastic. In addition to finding Kagome and Inuyasha, along with a fox demon and a thousand year old thief, and two fairies, they also had to round up three Pokemon now probably running about the universe. They'd do a thorough check of the area before assuming they had three more displaced residents on their hands. Why could things never be easy?

"Hey look."

Feeling wiped out with a monster headache forming just behind her eyes, Aster squinted in her partner's direction. "What?" she asked.

Dayan bent down and picked up a very familiar contraption.

"It's one of the Trippers."

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Disclaimer Part II: _Pokemon _was originally a video game owned by Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri (then turned into anime and manga and all Pokemon representation outside of Asia is by Pokemon USA), _A Little Snow Fairy Sugar_ characters belong to Kadokawa Shoten, _Yu-Gi-Oh _characters (Bakura) belong to Kazuki Takahashi, and _Yu Yu Hakusho_ characters belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

Author's Notes:

People debate on whether or not Pokemon is a true anime or manga. I'm choosing yes. After all, besides the fact that it was based on a video game, it still follows the definition of 'anime' or 'manga'. It isn't the only game that got turned into manga either. However, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I just wrote this note to let the readers know that I am aware that there are people who disagree.

Thank you to kasumikagome for suggesting Pokemon. At first I wasn't going to use it because it didn't seem to fit with the kinds of anime/manga I was using. Then the idea grew on me. Then I HAD to use it and bumped back the other chapter I was writing. I didn't include Dawn though and Brock only got mentioned, sorry.

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	9. Number One Bad Tempered Ninja

Disclaimer Part I: The characters of Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me. Aster and Dayandhi also belong to me. As unlikely as it would seem at first glance, this is a continuation story, not AU.

Inuyasha: A Fugitive Fairytale

Chapter Nine

Number One Bad Tempered Ninja

"You're annoying."

Kagome glared at the dark haired boy. How DARE he! He's the little punk who attacked them in the first place. They had just been wandering around the woods minding their own business when BAM! Three kids jumped out at them from the tree tops! What was he anyhow? Ten? Twelve? What was he doing carrying around weapons? Where are his parents? Someone should really call Child Protective Services. That's just dangerous. And why was the comment directed at her? It was Inuyasha who had him hopping back into the trees when he started swinging his sword, not her. She was innocent! How DARE he call her annoying!

"Look, you guys attacked us. Just leave us alone and we'll get out of your hair."

Was that the worst cowlick in history, or did he actually style it like that? And what was with the girl with the pink hair? She was like his personal cheerleader or something. Not that he needed one. The kid was quick and could spit fire. YES! Spit. Fire. Right out of his mouth! It was the freakiest thing she had seen in a long time... from a human. And he was definately human. According to Inuyasha, only the odd little blonde haired kid was the one with a trace of demon in him. He did grumble something about foxes out to ruin his life.

"YOU CAN'T FOOL US! WE WON'T LET YOU NEAR OUR VILLAGE! BELIEVE IT!"

Ok. Besides the fact that the kid apparently only had one volume setting on his mouth, she couldn't help but grin at him. He was a little shorter than the others, but spunky. Quick to laugh. But fierce. Something about him reminded her of Shippo, but she couldn't put her finger on it.



"We're just traveling through," Kagome explained with what little amount of patience she had left.

At least, she hoped they'd be traveling through. Somehow they ended up in this place without the Tripper. They were well and truly lost. For the first time, she was actually hoping to see those time police. She didn't like the thought of being stuck here. Of never getting to go home.

"Send your demons away, then we'll talk."

Kagome blinked at the tall man who appeared out of the shadows. He seemed to be smiling, thought it was hard to tell since most of his face was covered. Only one eye peeked through. He had silver hair and was carrying some sort of book. She had no idea that silver was such a common hair color for men.

No one, she thought with a grin, wore the color better than Inuyasha though.

"I ain't goin' nowhere. I ain't leavin' Kagome alone with you."

Inuyasha snorted in disgust at the taller man. With his foot he shoved Growlithe behind him, then positioned himself in front the miko. Kagome followed his line of sight. He was glaring at the book? Why was he so upset over a book? Then she squinted and noticed the cover. With an 'Eep' she covered Evee's eyes. The man was worse than Miroku!

"These ain't summons, boss."

Now, really, after everything she has seen, it shouldn't have startled her to see a talking pug dog. Still, she couldn't help but stare at it. Though technically Growlithe could talk too, even if it was only his name. Still a little freaky though.

Inuyasha tensed as the boy Sasuke dropped down next to the pink haired girl, who practically swooned. The blonde whined about him standing too close to his Sakura-chan. It was almost sad to see how he was ignored. Kagome felt a sympathetic pang for him.

"Not a summons?" asked the tall man. His relaxed posture suddenly shifted. "Then he is a demon?"

The dog sniffed again. "Half."

"There are such things as half demons?" asked the girl.

"Stay back, Sakura!" ordered Sasuke as he stepped in front of her to keep her from coming closer. Probably to satisfy her curiosity.



"I'M NARUTO UZUMAKI! I'M THE NUMBER ONE GREATEST NINJA IN THE LEAF VILLAGE! I WON'T BE DEFEATED! BELIEVE IT!"

"Number One Knuckle-headed ninja, you mean," mumbled Sakura.

That surprised Kagome. "You guys are ninjas?"

Naruto's grin nearly split his face it was so huge. "OF COURSE WE ARE! I'M GOING TO BE THE GREATEST NINJA THE WORLD HAS EVER SEE..."

"Shut up, Naruto," scolded Sakura.

Ninjas huh? Oddest looking ninjas Kagome ever saw. Who thought Sakura's red outfit or Naruto's bright orange outfit were appropriate ninja gear? Unless maybe they were hiding in a flower garden during full bloom. She looked down at the ninja outfit she was wearing that Misao had given her. The midnight blue was much better, even though it did have a pink obi. Only the tall man seemed dressed for the job. A job he didn't seem to find half as interesting as his choice of reading material. Which, by the way, Kagome felt was totally inappropriate to be reading in front of children. Even ninja children.

Kagome sighed as Naruto charged, making Inuyasha draw his sword. Which made Sasuke and Sakura attack Inuyasha. Which made Growlithe attack the three kids. Which made the little pug dog attack Growlithe. Which made Evee attack the pug. It was an odd little domino effect. Only Kakashi seemed to have no interest in battle as he hopped up into a tree and turned a page in his book.

"Well," Kagome said to no one inparticular, "Here we go."

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Aster wandered into the control room. Again. As much as Dayan enjoyed watching his companion walk, the walking and sighing was starting to get on his nerves. He took a deep breath and held his tongue. After all, Az had a mean right hook.

She missed Pepper. The little accident prone fairy had really livened the place up. She made Aster smile. She made her eyes light up in a way he had never seen before. He missed Pepper too. Okay, he didn't miss her messes and accidents that it always took him hours to fix, but he did miss how Aster's eyes would sparkle. He missed seeing her happy. Hopefully they would find Pepper soon.



"Think our superiors would ever hire a fairy?"

He meant to cheer her up, not make her eyes water. He felt bad, even as she plastered on a fake smile. Aster would rather be dead than have anyone see her cry.

"You never know." Her voice broke just a little as she asked, "Do you think she's okay?"

Okay. Enough was enough. He had to do something to bring her out of this depression she had worked herself into. It was... unsettling... to see her that way. Sure she could be bossy and angry and demanding... but depressed? It just wasn't right.

"Az, I'm sure she's fine. I miss her too, but..."

An annoying, and all too familiar, buzzing stopped what could have been their first real conversation since the fairy had left their crew. Dayan's jaw clenched as he heard sprinklers engage in the next room. Lights began to flash and the warning signal started to blare. Strangely enough, it was the chaos that made Aster giggle.

No. They weren't under attack. Not really. Well, maybe they sort of were. Under attack by a cute little squirrel looking thing at any rate.

Somehow, the Pokemon had gotten ahold of one of the Trippers during the scuffle. It was only through sheer luck that they had caught up to it so quickly, especially considering the fact that it (was it a girl or a boy?) had bounced to three different worlds, one right after the other. Luckily, once they found it, the Pokemon was somewhat easy to catch. All it took was telling it that they were taking it to Kagome and it came along quietly. However, the little... rascal... kept sending out electrical pulses that messed with the ships computer.

Originally the plan had been to keep tracking Kagome and take it back afterwards. However, if he had to spend one more day fixing the stupid fried computers, he couldn't be held responsible for his actions.

"Az, we gotta ta..."

"Dayan, how about we take..."

They stopped, then they laughed. That was a quick decision. They would erase it's memory and take it back to where it belonged before hunting for Kagome again. The ship couldn't survive their passenger any more.

And neither could Dayan's sanity.

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Sasuke was amazing! His movements were fluid and graceful. And he was fighting against a real actual demon! Half demon, whatever. It was still very impressive. He didn't charge ahead like a certain idiotic knucklehead she knew.

Speaking of Naruto, what was he doing just standing there fidgeting like that? Surely he isn't holding back fighting the girl because she was a girl was he? Was he... yes... he WAS! He was TALKING to her! Chatting actually! How could he be so stupid as to relax with her like that? She was an enemy! An enemy with a powerful demon! Half demon, whatever. Was he insane? Had all that ramen destroyed what was left of his brain cells?

It always bugged her when girls were pitted against the girl enemies while the boys fought the boys. After all, the girls were just as tough as the boys. Some were even tougher! Tenten was an amazing fighter! And Hinata... well... okay, maybe she's a bad example. Hinata was just too sweet. But maybe they did that because boys sometimes got all stupid around a pretty girl. Like Naruto. The girl could gut him before he knew what hit him.

Not that she was pretty. She was barely average looking. Does... does Sasuke think she's pretty?

Quickly Sakura scans the battle field. Luckily Sasuke only seems to be concentrating on fighting the enemy, the strange silver haired dogman with eyes of gold. Eyes that never strayed from the girl for long.

In fact... he actually seemed to be aware of everything about her. His ears would twitch in her direction when his eyes moved back to Sasuke. She suspected that if Naruto made one move on the girl that not even his amazing healing ability would save him. He checked on her continually throughout the battle, a battle he didn't seem to fight aggressivly.

Sakura glanced towards the girl, then back at the dog demon. All she had done was lean back against a tree, and suddenly all his senses were tuned in her direction.

Sasuke... Sasuke didn't even glance her direction once. Not once. No matter how she cheered, or shouted encouragement. Before she knew she was moving, Sakura found herself standing beside Naruto.

"Hey, Sakura-chan. This is Kagome!"

"Hello, Sakura. It is nice to meet you."



Sakura smiled against her will as she responded with her own, "Hello." Was it really appropriate to say it was nice to meet her when their two groups were locked in mortal combat. Odd that the girl didn't seem nervous at all. Which was strange, considering they were greatly outnumbered. Either the girl thought she and her demon were just that powerful... or she was simply an idiot.

Naruto excused himself to go help out Sasuke.

"Did he just call him what I think he called him?" Kagome asked incredulously as Naruto turned his back towards them and bellowed his announcment that he was joining the battle.

"Yeah... it is kind of a nickname."

"Ah, they must be really close."

The odd thing was that the girl's voice held no sarcasm. Obviousy she noticed Sakura's confusion, because she began to explain herself.

"Well, he really wanted to go fight too, but since he had guard duty he held back."

"Guard duty?"

"Sure. He claims I'm a prisoner of Kohona. He's cute. Anyhow, as soon as you got here he ran off to go fight at the other boy's side. You have any brothers?"

Sakura shook her head at the question, still marveling over the fact that the other girl thought that Naruto was cute and that he was close to Sasuke.

"Well, siblings tend to fight among each other and call each other the worst of names. But they are fiercely protective of anyone else hurting them. Look at the way they fight. I'd say those two are probably as close as brothers, but too proud to admit it."

"You think so?"

Kagome smiled. "Sure! I have a little brother, myself. We've been known to fight and call each other names. Though we are actually very close." The girl's expression fell. "I miss him.

Keeping her guard up, Sakura stood next to her. They watched in silence as the fight continued. It was then that she noticed that although Inuyasha kept an eye on Kagome at all times, the girl did the same. There wasn't a moment when he strayed from her line of sight

"He's not just a demon, is he?"



The girl blushed at Sakura's question.

"No. He is my friend.

The blush meant that he was more than a friend, but Sakura didn't want to push it. Besides, it was depressing. Why couldn't Sasuke look at HER like that? Why couldn't be be watching after her obssessively? Why couldn't he... care? Even a little.

"Ohhh."

Sakura looked over at Kagome, chastising herself for getting lost in thought. Such a thing could easily cause a ninja's death. Hopefully Kakashi didn't notice. Or worse, Sasuke.

"What?"

Kagome was smiling kindly at her. "It's the dark haired boy you like."

"Of course! Sasuke is amazing."

"Hmm."

Ok, that just annoyed her.

"Of course he is! He is the most amazing ninja ever!"

"I'm sure he's great." Pause. "Naruto is pretty good too."

A set of silver ears twitched on the battlefield. Sakura wasn't surprised to find the next attack knocking Naruto through a tree. Apparently those ears weren't just for looks. A slightly evil voice suggested she make a statement out loud that Naruto was interested in the dark haired girl, but that might just spell his death. Quickly she pushed away those thoughts... into a file to save for later use.

"Not as good as Sasuke."

Kagome's eyes filled with sadness and pity as she looked at the blonde as he started building up his chakra for an attack.

"What?" Sakura snapped peevishly. 

"I didn't say anything."

"You're thinking something."

Kagome shrugged.



"Fine. Don't tell me. I don't care."

Only she did. Why was the stranger focusing on Naruto so much? She was glad that she didn't have another woman in competition with her for Sasuke, but it was strange that she wasn't even slightly interested in him. Hmmm... maybe it was because she was so old. What was she? 15? 16? Waaaay too old for her Sasuke. Wasn't she?

"I think it's sweet how much Naruto cares for you." 

"WHAT?"

Kagome smiled as she pet the strange looking fox type creature laying in her lap. "It's easy to tell. After all, he's always keeping an eye on you." 

Surprised, Sakura looked onto the battlefield and saw Naruto. Sure enough, he glanced at her and grinned. So she watched a little bit longer. Every so often his eyes would flick over to her before going back to the battle.

The strangest thing happened. Even though she was standing still, her heartbeat quickened.

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"Good riddance!"

Aster dusted her hands off on her pants as the Pokemon scampered off. Kagome's visit was now permanently erased from its mind. She smiled as she saw it's future. In a few days a new young trainer was going to come along, making it her second Pokemon. Her favorite. They would be companions, even after their fighting days were done. The trouble making little Pokemon would have a good long life.

It was good to finally have a future that happy to see.

"Found one of the Trippers on the monitor." Silence. "Shouldn't we be going?"

Looking over at Dayan she gave him a smile, then turned her attention back to the forest where the Pachirisu had disappeared. No. She didn't want to get going. This had been her most difficult mission yet. Not the Pokemon, but the whole Kagome Higurashi mission. She was touching too many lives. Too many futures to see, and too many to erase. It was tiring. It was painful. And it was very depressing.



Maybe it was time to look for another line of work.

"Az?"

Ha. That wasn't likely to happen. Not with her gifts being so well known. There was no way they would let her just walk away, even if she wanted to. There were not many who had her talents. It was her duty, the duty of all born with a special gift, to serve the people. Till the day she died. Ug. How depressing is that? Too bad it isn't possible to wipe her own mind. Seeing everyone's future just reminded her that she didn't really have one of her own. Not really.

A gentle hand touched her shoulder.

"Aster?"

"Yeah... let's go."

Maybe the Tripper was picking up Salt and Pepper...

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Naruto and Inuyasha sat side by side in Heaven. It was unlikely her dog demon was ever going to want to leave this place now. Not now that he'd been introduced to the ramen stand. Though it was very kind of the blonde haired kid (poor thing lived all alone!) to let them stay with him, Kagome was getting a little tired of having ramen for every meal. Every. Single. Meal.

She was tempted to take Sakura up on her offer to go get some food elsewhere, but being more than a few yards from Inuyasha made her nervous these days. Sure they didn't have a Tripper now to worry about whisking them off somewhere, but you never know.

"I wonder how Kurama and Bakura are doing."

That sure got Inuyasha to stop eating. At least long enough to glare at her before resuming the inhalation of his meal. Mentioning their two ex-companions never failed to get a reaction from her dog demon.



"Who cares?"

Kagome sighed. She felt a little guilty for the all the people who had been ripped away from their worlds. She dropped another noodle down to Growlithe. She'd miss the little Pokemon when he finally went back home. It was adorable the way he followed Inuyasha around. She should feel more guilty about taking the Pokemon than she did. But what life did they have to look forward to anyhow? A life of fighting and living in a tiny little ball? No way did she want Evee and Growlithe to end up like that. Maybe there was a way to keep them. Shippo would be ecstatic!

The others though... she did feel a lot of guilt over that. Both Bakura and Kurama were far away from everyone they knew, far from their homes. And now... now they were lost somewhere out there. Hopefully they were still together. And the two little fairies... how dangerous it must be for such tiny little creatures to be lost.

"You should care about your teammates!" scolded Sakura.

"Mmph.. not... slurp... teammate."

"Why do you care so much?"

The question startled Kagome. Not because of the question itself, but because of who asked it. Sasuke usually made a point of staying out of their conversations. He more or less hung around the perimiter of the group and watched. It was a little sad really. It reminded her a little of Inuyasha. Feeling like he wasn't really one of the group. Feeling like he didn't belong. Feeling like it was up to him to take on the world. To get revenge.

Her eyes softened as she answered him. "Every person touches the life of someone else. Sometimes we can't always see it right away, but it's true. Everyone plays an important role in someone else's life." She glanced towards Inuyasha, a little taken aback that he was glaring at her. She realized that she had been leaning forward towards Sasuke as she spoke. Smothering a smile (and straightening back up) she continued, "And friends especially are most precious. They become your family. They are people you can depend on, who depend on you in return."

A silver ear twitched in her direction as a chair screeched across the floor as Saskue stood up.

"Hn." And he left.

"Sasuke!"

Sakura stood up to follow, but looked back in time to see Naruto's face fall ever so lightly. His clear blue eyes suddenly clouded. Kagome sighed in disappointment. Even though each day that they had been there, Sakura seemed to look at Naruto more and 

more, she still always left. Usually she would get a guilty or confused look on her face, then run after Sasuke anyhow. Today, however, she sat back down.

"You know, you could die of malnutrition living on that stuff."

Naruto brightened up so quickly Kagome had to blink. "No way, Sakura-chan! This stuff is great!"

Even more interesting than seeing Sakura sit next to Naruto to berate him rather than chase down Saskue, was the fact that Sasuke was paused outside. In fact, he even glanced back before going on his way.

Very interesting.

"Leave it alone, wench."

Kagome sat up straight. "Leave what alone?"

He nodded towards the young ninjas as he continued eat.

"I just want them to be happy."

With a noodle hanging out of his mouth, Inuyasha stopped eating and looked at her. Quickly he finished the bite then pushed the bowl away. He stared at her. He stared at her like he was trying to read her thoughts. Kagome fought the urge to look away. It wasn't often he was so serious.

"Why?"

"Well... Everyone deserves to be happy."

He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Some people think that if you are unhappy with your own life, you try to fix other people's lives. That you aren't happy with who you are with."

"WHAT?" Kagome gasped. "Where did you hear THAT?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Your friends talk a lot. I can't help it if I have good hearing."

Kagome would throttle her friends if she ever saw them again. Her relationship with Inuyasha reeeeeally didn't need to be more complicated than it already was. She had to do it. She had to lay his fears at rest. She had to let him know that he was the one for her and that she wouldn't change it for the world. She would even use the 'L' word. She just hoped it wouldn't scare him off. Well... at least here (wherever here is) there would be no Kikyo to make an appearance at the worst time. And what could be a more perfect 

setting for Inuyasha than at a ramen stand. The thought made her smile and bolstered her courage.

Taking a clawed hand, she held it between her two hands. Startled golden eyes focused on her with an intensity that unnerved her. Her heart pounded in her chest.

"Inuyasha..."

She had rehearsed this speech a million times, even gone so far as to turn it into poetry. It was just really too bad she couldn't remember any of it.

"I..."

"Miss me, love?"

Kagome froze as an arm wrapped around her shoulders. She let out a squeak as she was suddenly pulled backwards. Inuyasha stumbled as her hands fell from his. Chairs scraped across the floor as ninjas jumped to their feet. Several kunai flew through the air towards her assailant. The small sharp weapons were more of a warning than an actual attack.

"HE APPEARED OUTTA NOWHERE!"

Catching sight of a lock of silver hair, the young miko knew who was behind her. Even without Naruto's rather loud exlamation.

"Bakura!" Both Kagome and Inuyasha cried out the name, though one was more of a blood curdling roar and the other a gasp of relief.

"I apologize for his rude behavior," said Kurama as he glided into view.

Two tiny fairies were perched on his shoulder. They waved and called out their greetings as their wings fluttered. Kagome grinned, happy to see Salt and Pepper were unharmed and seemed to be in good health. The other two she knew could probably take care of themselves, but fairies were a bit more delicate. A loud growling reminded her that Bakura had not yet removed his arm from her shoulders.

"Friend or foe?" asked Sakura as she reached for another kunai to throw.

"Friend," Kagome said at the same time Inuyasha growled, "Foe."

Sakura looked at Naruto, he shrugged. Though neither dropped their guard or their weapons.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF KAGOME!"



Bakura simply smirked and ran his thumb over something. It took Kagome a moment to recognize the Tripper. He laughed as he pressed a button. Her eyes widened in fear.

"NO!!"

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"NO!!"

Aster pulled out her weapon and aimed it towards the feminine cry of distress. She cursed as she saw the air ripple and Kagome disappear. She bit her bottom lip to keep herself from smiling as she saw the dog demon disappear as well. He had leapt in time to grab hold of the girl.

"Well," said Dayan happily, "At least they are all together now."

She grunted.

Looking around she noticed that a large group of heavily armed unhappy looking ninja were staring her down. Oof. Things just couldn't be easy, could they? With a sigh she began making the hand motions to slow down time, allowing her to study each of the people around her. The motions, however, were correctly identified as a spell and the ninja began to attack.

"Hurry!" shouts Dayan as he steps in front of her, taking a throwing star to the shoulder.

It was perhaps the quickest she had ever performed the spell, but at least it worked. Once her heartbeat slowed down to normal, she looked around the group. Most of them barely spoke to the girl, but each of them were to be greatly affected by the domino effect her visit had brought.

It started with the girl.

The pink haired ninja, Sakura, stops her obsessive behavior over Sasuke and gives Naruto a chance. They date. Saskue sees his friends together realizes what he would be missing. Sasuke decides that revenge isn't worth leaving his friends. He stays and pursues a relationship with Sakura. Naruto does not fight to keep her. The girl Hinata cheers him up.



Now that Sasuke does not leave, Sakura does not train under Tsunade in order to get stronger to help Naruto search for him. She continues to allow herself to be protected by Sasuke. Eventually her lack of strength causes her to be killed on the battlefield. The loss of Sakura causes Sasuke to snap. His rage can not be contained, and he goes on a rampage. Kohona is nearly completely destroyed, and the death toll is high.

Naruto is not as strong of a ninja since he didn't train so hard to find Sasuke to bring him back. He is not strong enough to become Hokage. He is not strong enough to defeat Sasuke.

The Leaf village falls.

Aster sighed. It was an easy decision. Erase the memory of Kagome. The children of the Leaf village would have to endure the heartache and pain ahead of them. Years down the road it would be worth it though.

A trickle of blood runs from her nose as she continues to wipe the minds of the villagers.

"Careful," whispers Dayan.

By the time she had finished wiping minds, Aster's legs sagged. Luckily Dayan was there to lean against. She hoped she found Kagome soon, before she burned out. The way things were going, Kagome was likely to accidently bring about the destruction of an entire world.

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Disclaimer Part II: _Naruto_ was written by Masashi Kishimoto, _Pokemon _was originally a video game owned by Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri (then turned into anime and manga and all Pokemon representation outside of Asia is by Pokemon USA), _A Little Snow Fairy Sugar_ characters belong to Kadokawa Shoten, _Yu-Gi-Oh _characters (Bakura) belong to Kazuki Takahashi, and _Yu Yu Hakusho_ characters belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

Author's Notes:

I was unable to write the pairings people wanted. I knew how I was going to end it, and thought that people would be even more upset if their favorite pairings went up in smoke. So I just stuck to my originial plan.



Sorry it has been taking me so long to update. I swear the story is not forgotten and that it will eventually be completed.

Honest.


	10. Magic Knight Kagome

Disclaimer Part I: The characters of Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me. Aster and Dayandhi also belong to me. As unlikely as it would seem at first glance, this is a continuation story, not AU. Also, there is a slight spoiler for Magic Knight Rayearth II in here.

Inuyasha: A Fugitive Fairytale

Chapter Ten

Magic Knight Kagome

"Who's a good doggie?"

"MMMmmm.. a little lower, please."

"Such soft little ears!"

"Ah yes, scratch the ears, Kagome."

"Such a cute puppy!"

"Oooh! That feels good. Keep scratching."

"I will gut you and strangle you with your own entrails," snarled Inuyasha.

Pakkun simply laughed. He was rather enjoying messing with the dog demon controlled (albeit loosely) by the little miko. It was one of the few joys he got after being pulled from his home to be held hostage with these losers. It was strange being out all of the time. Usually he was summoned, did his business, then went back into his own dimension. Hanging out with mortals so long was worse than fleas. It was difficult to find something to do to pass the time. He was lucky enough to hit the goldmine of entertainment when Kagome absently patted his head the day before, making Inuyasha seethe.

"My legs are tired, Kagome," Pakkun said pitifully, cocking his head to the side and bringing out the puppydog eyes, "Can you carry me?"

Sure enough, he was scooped up and the girl crooned at him. She hadn't seemed to grasp the fact yet that he was a ninja and not a pet, but seeing the dog demon about to explode was worth any embarrassment he might suffer.

It was odd that he had not once felt the call of being summoned. With as often as Kakashi summoned him, it was a little worrisome. What if he was stuck like this forever? He felt... useless. The dog demon could smell as well as he could. The Pokemon scouted, plus they had some pretty amazing abilities. The few times they had been attacked by monsters on this world, they had been dispatched so quickly by the red-head and the dog demon that he barely had time to blink. He wasn't used to being out and not having a job to do. It was like a vacation.

A very boring vacation.

"Are you sure you and Bakura aren't a couple, Kagome? You two sure seem made for each other."

Ah. Another fine way to spend the afternoon. While Inuyasha was already prickly about the petting, it was time to rub salt in his wounds. At the last village someone had assumed that Kagome was Bakura's wife. Apparently some barrier kept all with demon blood out. Strange that it kept Kurama out. Guess everyone has a secret or two. So Kagome, Bakura, and himself went into the village in search of soap. The Pokemon stayed helped Kurama and the fairies make a campsite as Inuyasha waited just outside of the village. Telling the story of the misunderstanding had been amusing at the time.

It was even funnier now.

Inuyasha snarled at Bakura, who smirked in return.

Kagome ignored the question, probably hoping if she ignored it it would go away, and instead turned back to the topic of discussion before Pakkun had started demanding pettings.

"So, apparently there are three girls running around here in strange clothes. Clothes a lot like mine." She looked down at her short skirt and odd top. The ninja clothes she wore before suited her better, but what did he know? He was a summoned ninja dog, not a fashion critic.

"They said they were girls from another world," Bakura said, catching up to Kagome then matching speed. "Maybe they know the way back."

The dog demon cracked his knuckles and a vein started throbbing in his forehead. Pakkun had the unusual urge to wag his tail. He shook his head. They better find a way back quick before he turns into some sort of pet.

"Do you think we are from the same world?" Bakura wondered aloud, looked down at Kagome.

"Well, we won't know until we find them."

He shook his head. "I meant us. You and me."

"There is NO you and her! There is you and there is her. No us!"

Kagome and Bakura both ignored the dog demon and continued on with their discussion as if he hadn't started yelling.

"I don't see how," the young miko answered. "I mean, I've never heard of Battle City or Kaiba Corp or fighting using card games." Suddenly the girl stopped in her tracks and blinked rapidly.

Bakura had coninued walking on, trying to ignore Kurama as he asked questions about battling. Salt and Peppa were darting between the two. The red head pulled a rose from out of nowhere! He gave it to the fairies to keep them occupied so Bakura would stop swatting at them. Pakkun would have been happy to chase them a bit if it wasn't for the fact that Kagome was still holding him.

"What's wrong?" asked Inuyasa.

"What... what if we aren't from the same world?

"Huh?"

"What if I don't travel in time? What if I'm traveling across into a whole other world? I mean, demons aren't exactly a part of every day life back home."

Inuyasha was uncharacteristically quiet for a moment. When he finally looked at Kagome, his eyes looked strange. For one thing, they weren't all squished up in anger and irritation. For the first time since Pakkun was yanked from his own world, he saw vulnerablility in the dog demon.

"Would it matter?"

"Matter?"

"Would it matter... to you... if we were from different worlds?"

Was he really so insecure? It seemed so out of odds with the rest of his personailty. Wow. Now he felt almost bad for picking on him about Kagome. Almost.

"Of course not!" she said. "It's just strange thinking about it."

"Keh. It don't matter. Stop thinkin' and lets get going."

In a split second irritating bully Inuyasha was back and Pakkun was back to looking for ways to get under his skin.

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Kagome wondered if they were intentionally trying to drive her insane. Bakura and Pakkun seemed to be conspiring to turn Inuyasha purple with rage. The Pokemon were restless and running around like they were on some pokenip. The fairies decided they liked Kurama's rose so much that started zipping from flower to flower talking about how wonderful things smelled. Kagome wondered if they were drunk. And Kurama! He just stood around being annoyingly calm.

Just as she was about to scream at them to shut up, everyone ... well... shut up. She blinked for a moment, wondering if they had (correctly) read her mood, or if she had actually screamed. As it turned out, neither was correct. Instead, they had all grown quiet when they reached what looked like a pile of rubble. It was Kurama who spoke first.

"There has been a great battle here."

"Oh? What was your first clue? The caved in lair or the broken weapons and the smell of blood and death?"

A tic started throbbing in Kagome's forehead.

"Perhaps we can find something of use in there."

Inuyasha turned his nose away from the site. "Nah. Let's just go."

"Bet there's at least one decent weapon in there," Bakura added.

"I said, let's go."

Kurama shrugged good naturedly, but Bakura's eyes narrowed in anger.

"You DARE tell me what to do?"

Kagome watched as Bakura's aura flared, his eyes on fire. Then the fire dimmed as he realized that he no longer how powers to draw on. Whatever his original for was before he joined their little group, he was just a normal guy now. And it seemed to bother him more each time he realized it. Most of the times. Occasionally the young miko would find him staring at his hand as it touched something. Or how he would close his eyes to feel the breeze or smell baking bread the few times they passed it. Her own anger died as Bakura turned from the group.

Inuyasha led the group to the north, following their last lead on the three girls. An odd feeling pulled Kagome to a stop. It was familar in an odd sort of way. It reminded her of the pull of the Shikon Jewel. Instinct led her away from her group to a spot several yard into the middle of the rubble. Before she could reach down and move one of the rocks, a clawed hand covered her.

"What are you doing, wench?"

"There's something here."

He pulled her hand away from the rock.

"Death is here, Kagome." He sighed. "Human death. Come on, you don't need to see it."

"No," she didn't tug on her hand to get it back from the hanyou, but she also refused to follow. "There is something there that is... well... calling to me."

Inuyasha looked at her for a moment. Then he nodded and started moving the rocks. What he uncovered was a stone. It wasn't exactly pink like the Shikon Jewel. It was almost white, with other colors running throught it. Transluscent and shimmering. It was breathtaking. An opal perhaps?

Kagome reached down to pick it up. It was cool and smooth. And oh so beautiful.

Then she started screaming.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Inuyasha looked panicked at the unexpected scream.

"Get it off me! Get it off!!!"

The jewel had attached itself to the top of her hand. She tried to shake it off, but that didn't work. Then she tried to tear it off. That didn't work either. Kagome began to panic. It wasn't coming off! IT WASN'T COMING OFF!!! Tears streamed down her face as she fought to get the jewel off of her. Then she started to smash her hand against a rock. She braced herself for the pain... but it didn't come.

"Don't."

Sniffling, Kagome looked at the hands that were once again holding her own. She let her breath out in a half laugh. Was this the only way to get the hanyou to hold her hand?

"Are you okay? Does it hurt?" Inuyasha asked worriedly.

"No... it... no, it doesn't hurt."

"Interesting," said Kurama.

"Maybe magic will help!" Pepper swooped down onto Kagome's hand and began playing her harp. Salt soon joined her with his trumpet. But sun and wind magic did not disturb the jewel at all.

"We could always cut it out."

Inuyasha drew his sword on Bakura and growled.

Bakura simply grinned. "If it is malignant, we may have no choice. Better to lose a hand than to risk death. Or worse."

"Just SHUT UP!"

"He does make a good point," Kagome said. She smiled at Inuyasha's horrified look. Then his ears pinned back and his stance tensed as he began to crouch. She had no idea what he planned on attacking. Her bet was on Bakura though. When was he going to stop teasing Inuyasha? When did he develop a sense of humor? "But we'll just hold off a bit on that idea for awhile."

She had hoped to relax Inuyasha with a teasing statement of her own, but he was furious.

"No."

"Inuy..."

"No."

"Look, be reasona..."

"NO."

There simply was no reasoning with a stubborn dog demon. Kagome was relieved. She didn't particularly want anyone cutting her. Ouch.

For the rest of the day, Inuyasha kept Kagome within arms reach, and always had his body between her and Bakura. It was sweet, really. But Bakura didn't help matters by goading Inuyasha. He may have forgotten that Kagome was still there with the jewel stuck to her hand as he talked about all the different possiblities that could happen to her. Each one more gruesome than the last. Even though she knew that he was teasing Inuyasha, Kagome couldn't help but become more and more frightened. Maybe cutting off her hand wasn't such a bad idea after all.

The jewel was magic, that much was for certain. But she couldn't really tell if it was dark magic or not. It certainly seemed innocent enough. Then again, evil sometimes comes wrapped in pretty packages. If she had her purifying arrows she would know. Her arrows would probably be able to solve this whole mess. After all, she had been able to dig out those corrupted false jewels that Kouga once had in his arm. He was no worse for wear. If only...

Closing her eyes, Kagome pictured her familiar arrows. When she clenched her fist, she could almost feel them.

"What the...?" Kagome opened her eyes to look at Inuyasha. His golden eyes were wide with shock. "How did you do that?"

Before she could ask what in the world he was talking about, Kagome realized that there really was something in her hand. It was an arrow. Not just any arrow either! It was HER arrow! But how? How was that possible? Her weapons were back in the Feudal Era. Or was she finally able to produce a weapon of energy like Kuwabara? No, that couldn't be. His weapon was made out of energy. This arrow was real! It had a physical form.

Could it be... the jewel?

Did it grant wishes?

Quickly she closed her eyes and began to chant silently. Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate. Peeking into her hand she saw... nothing. No pocky. No chocolate bar. Okay, so maybe no food products. Shampoo. Shampoo. Shampoo. Please! Nope. Not a thing. Then she thought about an arrow.

And an arrow appeared in her hand.

"Oh well.... Chocolate would have been nice...."

"Huh?"

"Oh, nothing, Inuyasha."

But what could were arrows without a... A bow appeared in her hand. It was very similar to bows she had used before, though this one seemed much more ornate. It was quite lovely actually.

"Wow."

"Neat trick!" Pepper cried as she fluttered onto the miko's shoulder. "Can you get it to make you waffles?"

Kagome smiled gently. "I think it only summons up a weapon. Sorry, Pepper."

Not only did it give arrows, but apparently there was an endless supply of arrows. And when the bow was released to disappear again, so did all the arrows. It was worth having the jewel stuck to her hand so she didn't have to lug around a quiver and bow. Inuyasha, of course, didn't trust the jewel on her hand OR the arrows it produced.

"You wear a jewel!"

Kagome spun around, surprised by the unfamiliar female voice. Inuyasha already had his sword drawn and was standing between her and the stranger.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

The woman was beautiful, with the longest hair Kagome had ever seen. And sad blue eyes.

"Young girl from another world, how is it that you wear one of my sister's jewels upon your hand?" The statement was accusatory, it was merely curious.

"Well... it just kind of appeared." Kagome showed her the stone on her hand. "Can you get it off for me please?"

"The stone has chosen you," the woman said. "I would not presume to take away a gift from my sister. You must have a warrior's heart." The woman studied Kagome intensely, making the girl a little uncomfortable. Then she nodded. "Yes. You have a good heart young girl from another world. I know you will use her gift well."

"But I don't want it."

The woman smiled. "Yes. Yes you do." Then she closed her eyes and held her hand over the stone. "I shall add a gift of my own. The weapon you call to your hand will now evolve as your skills evolve. The more powerful you become, the more powerful your weapon becomes. Use this gift wisely. And become strong."

Kagome cocked her head to one side, then held her hand to her chest and repeated Inuyasha's question. "Who are you?"

"I was Sierra once... now I am Presea."

The woman turned her back and began moving rocks. Kagome opened her mouth to ask more questions, but Inuyasha shook his head. He motioned for the others to leave. Kagome stood with the hanyou at a distance and watched the woman work. She wanted to ask what was going on. Then she realized that the woman was burying her sister.

"Should we offer to help?" she whispered.

"I don't think so. I get the feeling this is something she needs to do on her own."

Kagome's hand bumped Inuyasha's, she kept it there. Slowly he wrapped his fingers around hers. They stood there keeping watch over the woman as she worked in silence. They watched as the woman entered what was left of the place that was once a home and a workshop. They watched as she exited dressed much differently. Then they watched as she burned the clothing that she had been wearing.

"She's saying goodbye," Inuyasha told Kagome. "To her sister... to herself."

"Becoming her sister? But Inuyasha... What about her? What happens to Sierra? She's just going to give up being Sierra and become her sister? Why? It makes no sense!"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Must make sense to her. Maybe she thinks her sister's work or life or whatever is more important. Maybe she thinks that living the rest of her life out being Presea is more worthwhile than being Sierra." He shrugged again. "Who knows, maybe she's trying do dodge debtors."

A change of clothing certainly changed Sierra. Just like the miko robes seemed to turn Kagome into a carbon copy of Kikyo. Would she be doing the world a favor is she..."

"Don't even think it, Kagome." Inuyasha snarled.

"What?"

"Just don't."

"How did you know what I was thinking?"

Inuyasha looked at her with glowing golden eyes. For a moment he simply looked at her. Then the corner of his mouth quirked to the side. "Just the way you are, Kagome." His hand squeezed hers. "Remember that."

"KAGOME!" squealed Peppa, "The machine is taking us on another trip! Hurry!"

Kagome's head whirled as she let Inuyasha drag her back to their group. She remembered that phrase. It was one she once told to Inuyasha. _I like you just the way you are._ She grinned. The funny feeling in her tummy had nothing to do with the teleporting this time.

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"We missed them!"

Dayan surveyed the area. "Yeah. Sure looks like it. And only by seconds I would bet."

"We can't miss again."

"Yeah...I know."

The journey had been fun. He liked following Aster around and teasing her. But the journey was beginning to take its toll. She was wearing down fast. He considered suggesting they not even bother with erasing people's memories this time. He was worried about Aster frying. He had heard stories about people like her burning out, until there was nothing left. Now it was his greatest fear.

He was angry, too. Angry that they would never let her go. They would use her up until her brain was fried. Or until she had gone insane.

"Well... let's get started."

Reluctantly, Dayan followed Aster as she waved to get a woman's attention away from the fire she was building.

He thought Kagome was a good kid. Her impact on the worlds she visited were mostly positive. Wiping her memory would probably do more harm for the universe than good in the long run. But, as much as he liked the girl, he had to take her down.

Fast.

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Disclaimer Part II: _Magic Knight Rayearth_ was created by Clamp, _Naruto_ was written by Masashi Kishimoto, _Pokemon _was originally a video game owned by Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri (then turned into anime and manga and all Pokemon representation outside of Asia is by Pokemon USA), _A Little Snow Fairy Sugar_ characters belong to Kadokawa Shoten, _Yu-Gi-Oh _characters (Bakura) belong to Kazuki Takahashi, and _Yu Yu Hakusho_ characters belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

Author's Notes:

This version of Magic Knight Rayearth is from the anime, and not the manga. There was no Sierra in the manga, only the anime. But I liked the idea so that's what I went with.

Sorry it's been so long for updates. Been having computer issues. And now my computer has had a total meltdown (literally burned so hot it melted things), so now I have to get a replacement. I have not given up on any of my stories. If I started it, I will finish it! I promise.


	11. By the Book

Disclaimer Part I: The characters of Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me. Aster and Dayandhi also belong to me.

Inuyasha: A Fugitive Fairytale

Chapter Eleven

By the Book

"That...." Kagome took a deep breath, "Was the weirdest thing to ever happen to me. And I've fallen down a well five hundred years into the past, fought demons, and apparently have traveled through time and space by something no bigger than a cell phone... So that's really saying something..."

Inuyasha made a rude sound. "What is it about schoolgirls from your time who keep falling into the past? Do they all end up priestesses?"

Kagome's jaw dropped. "THAT's all you have to say about it? We were sucked into a book, Inuyasha. A BOOK!" She picked up the book and shook it at him forcefully, then dropped it in fear of being drawn back into the pages to live out yet another story. She gave it a kick to send it skittering away from her and under a table. She didn't want to even be near that thing ever again. It was like one of her worst nightmares coming true. She'd never be able to look at her school books the same again!

"Your use of a bow was most impressive," said Kurama with a smile. "You seem to improve each time you use it. And I believe you would have made a very good priestess of Suzaku, regardless of what Tamahome said. We certainly would have been triumphant should we have accepted the challenge to your right as priestess."

"Yeah," agreed Inuyasha, "We woulda kicked their…"

"I'm sick of the outdoors," interrupted Bakura in complaint. "Send us someplace with air conditioning next time,"

Peppa sighed and seemed to slump a bit on Kurama's shoulder, "We didn't find a single twinkle." Then she perked up and her wings fluttered. "We'll have better luck next place though, won't we, Salt?"

"Of course we will!"

"Grooowlithe. Growwley growl."

"Eveeeee."

"No one had to work that hard to summon me," grumbled Pakkun as he contemplated chewing on one of the fallen books. "That's why they all take me for granted."

"YOU'RE ALL INSANE! Does NO ONE think that was the weirdest thing to ever happen? Isn't anyone else even slightly freaked out that we were just words on a page ten seconds ago?" Her voice rose in pitch and volume, causing everyone to wince slightly.

"Well...." Pakkun said thoughtfully, "That Miaka girl should could pack away the food without gaining an ounce. You should go back and ask her the secret."

"That's not what I meant!" Kagome was beginning to think that they really were insane. "We weren't in another w... DID YOU JUST CALL ME FAT?"

Inuyasha used his foot to push the Pokemon away from Pakkun, looking a little too hopeful that she'd blast the small talking pug into dust. One moment he was practically rubbing his hands together at the thought of her destroying Pakkun, and the next he was flat on the floor with a tiny feather sticking out of his next.

Kagome was in shock.

Before she could even call out Inuyasha's name, Kurama hit the ground with a thud. She was in shock. Frozen in place. Kagome spun around as Growlithe began snarling and Evee yelped. A weight hit her in the middle and she hit the ground, landing behind a bookshelf.

It was Bakura!

"I am a bit insulted they didn't think I was dangerous enough to take out first," the white haired tomb robber grumbled as he slightly lifted his weight off of her. Then he gave her a slightly evil grin. "Although I suppose I should thank them for this rare opportunity."

Kagome pushed at him. How could he make jokes when Inuyasha and Kurama had just been taken down? There was no pop of a gun firing. No buzzing. No hissing. No sound of any sort to indicate a weapon being drawn, much less fired. Even Inuyasha had not heard anything to warn him of the danger. Was it some sort of magic?

She froze in mid shove when she heard Evee make a heart wrenching sound.

"No!" she cried. Evee was gentle and sweet. Who could hurt Evee?

Then Growlithe yelped.

"NO!"

Bakura rolled off her and looked beyond the shelf. For the first time since she knew him, he looked so dangerous that she was actually a little afraid. But Bakura was the least of her fears. Kagome briefly wondered who their attacker was, but was more interested in if Inuyasha was alive. Seeing the bodies of her friends laying lifelessly on the floor caused her heart to stop. Only when she saw that they were still breathing was she able to breathe again. Then she visualized her bow and it appeared in her hand, getting ready to protect her friends.

A light sparkling in the open space caused Kagome to jump to her feet and drop the arrow she had just produced. But Bakura held her back.

"Pepper, NO!"

The tiny fairy wasn't looking at her, she was looking at a man holding a weapon. A weapon aimed directly at the little fairy. If the weapon had been strong enough to cause a half demon like Inuyasha to drop instantly, what would it do to such a tiny, delicate fairy? Tears streamed down Kagome's face as she tried to wrench herself from Bakura's grip.

"Please stop!" the fairy begged. "Please don't! Please don't do this!"

Salt quickly flew to his friend and hovered between her and the weapon. But Pepper continued to beg their attacker to stop. It broke Kagome's heart.

"Kagome Higurashi," said the familiar voice. "You are under arrest for crimes against the universal Law of Time. You have the right to remain silent but failing to mention any facts in your defense may be treated as evidence against you in the Court. If you wish to speak, anything you say may be given as evidence in the Court. A representative will you assigned to you once you have been processed. Your family will be notified. This is your final warning."

"What have you done to Inuyasha?" demanded Kagome as she shook with anger. Anger at the people chasing her, anger for being so helpless, and anger at herself for causing such pain to her friends. This was all her fault.

"High level tranq, Ms. Higurashi. They aren't dead, just sleeping. Come along quietly."

Bakura swore viciously then rushed Dayan. A shot from the opposite direction sent him falling to the floor. Aster appeared from the other side. Armed.

Kagome heart was racing. She didn't know what to do. She knew she couldn't run. She couldn't leave her friends. She couldn't take them both on, not when they had those stun gun weapons and she only had a bow, even though it was a magic bow of sorts. She wasn't even certain that her arrows would work on a human. So she did the only thing she knew of to do.

"Okay," she said.

Her bow and arrow disappeared as she walked out from her hiding place. She bit her lip to keep from crying out at the sight of her friends' bodies on the floor, looking far too much like a battle lost, as she walked among them. Holding out her hands to be cuffed she looked at the two officers. Dayan's face was tight with concern, and Aster's eyes were sad. 

"That's not quite how it works," the woman said. 

Aster reached for her and touched her temple, Kagome's world started turning black. In the back of her mind she thought she could hear the female officer telling the other to bag them all up as evidence. 

Inuyasha.... cried Kagome silently as she fell into nothingness. 

Inuyasha....

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Disclaimer Part II: _Fushigi Yugi_ (briefly mentioned in the beginning) belongs to Yuu Watase, _Magic Knight Rayearth_ was created by Clamp, _Naruto_ was written by Masashi Kishimoto, _Pokemon _was originally a video game owned by Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri (then turned into anime and manga and all Pokemon representation outside of Asia is by Pokemon USA), _A Little Snow Fairy Sugar_ characters belong to Kadokawa Shoten, _Yu-Gi-Oh _characters (Bakura) belong to Kazuki Takahashi, and _Yu Yu Hakusho_ characters belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

Author's Note: Sorry it has been awhile since the last update folks. I'm still alive and still writing. It was just slow going there for awhile.


	12. Saying Goodbye

Disclaimer Part I: The characters of Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me. Aster and Dayandhi also belong to me. As unlikely as it would seem at first glance, this is a continuation story, not AU.

Inuyasha: A Fugitive Fairytale

Chapter Twelve

Saying Goodbye 

"Kagome Higurashi, the Court finds you guilty on all charges." 

Kagome blinked. 

"What?"

"Take her away. Wipe the memories of her unfortunate victims and send them back to where they belong." The trio who acted as the judge spoke eerily in unison. They looked human. But they sounded eerily robotic. The one in the middle (possibly a woman, difficult to tell really) slammed down the gavel, making everyone jump.

"Next case." 

Kagome looked pleadingly at Aster, her shaking hands clasped at her chest. "But... but there was no trial! They didn't let me tell them what happened! That can't be right?" 

Aster took her elbow and started leading Kagome out of the courtroom without a word and with a face of stone. The young woman barely noticed the other crowd of people waiting to stand trial as she was pulled quickly out into the hall, which was also full. She struggled to keep up. 

"But it isn't fair! And what about Inuyasha? And the others? Are they okay? What are you going to do with them? Am I going to jail? Am I being executed? What about my family? My mother?" 

"Hush, girl," hissed Aster. "Just come along quietly."

"QUIETLY???" You have got to be out of your mind!"

"Come quietly or I swear I will put you out right now."

Kagome closed her mouth, but she was furious now. She HAD to know if Inuyasha was ok. She tried to dig her heels in and force Aster to stop, but suddenly the other officer, Dayandhi, was right behind her with his hand at her back. Morbidly she wondered if he would be the one to shoot her, like he shot her friends.

She followed them out of the main corridor and into what appeared to be something similar to an elevator.

"Correctional Facility Ninety-Seven."

"Where are we going?" asked Kagome as the doors began to close.

Aster looked at her and almost smiled. "Jail."

"You have ninety-seven jail cells?"

"No. Two hundred and fifty jails, each holding one hundred cells. Your friends are lucky they are in Ninety-Seven."

The door closed and Kagome snorted. "Lucky?"

The doors opened again and they were suddenly staring at an empty corridor lined with cells.

"Yes. Ninety-Seven is simply one of the holding facilities for our more... reluctant guests. It means that they will soon be going home. After their memories are erased they will no longer be a threat to us, and their futures will go on as they should. They are innocents."

"Did we just teleport?" Kagome spun around to look at what she thought was an elevator. But the door that was there was gone. "Was that a porthole? A wormhole? How'd that happen?" Could she use that way as an escape route once she managed to free Inuyasha and her friends?

"The less you know, the better off you are, Ms. Higurashi," said Dayan. His smile told Kagome he knew what she was thinking. She tried to smile innocently, but failed.

"So... Inuyasha gets to go home?"

Aster nodded. "Yes. They all do."

She breathed a sigh of relief, her knees sagged. At least he wasn't going to be stuck in jail too. Or... or executed. She tried not to think of her fate.

"Am I going to be held here, too?"

The officer didn't look at her. Instead she looked down the hall. "I brought you here so you could say good-bye. I thought you might like that."

Tears pricked her eyes. "Yes. Thank you."

As they walked down the corridor Kagome noticed how very silent it was. Their footsteps echoed loudly. She peeked into cells as they passed them, and every prisoner was asleep. It seemed odd because everything was so brightly lit. How could they possibly be sleeping?

They stopped in front of an empty cell. For one terrifying moment, Kagome thought she was going to be locked up. Then she noticed two tiny forms lying on a pillow.

"Salt! Pepper!"

"They sleep. It is a spell. They cannot wake up."

"I want to say good-bye." They fairies looked so sweet and peaceful.

Aster shook her head. "I will not wake them up. They will not remember you or... or anything about what has happened. They will be put back where and when they belong. You won't even be a memory. And I won't have them suffer heart ache unnecessarily."

Kagome nodded.

"Good-bye, Salt," she whispered. "Good-bye, Pepper. Thank you for all your help, for your company. I know you'll find your twinkles." A lump formed in her throat and she hand to stop speaking.

Aster put a hand on her shoulder.

"Will they be okay?" she sniffled.

"If you like... I can show you."

Kagome nodded... though she was confused. Aster smiled, then the world started shifting and swirling.

........OlO........OlO........OlO........OlO........

"Let's go see Saga at school!" squealed Sugar happily as she fluttered around the park bench. "I know we'll find a Twinkle today!"

Pepper rubbed her eyes tiredly as Salt yawned as the chewed half-heartedly on the piece of waffle Saga had left them earlier. Sugar giggled and spun around before she started flying in the direction of the school. Salt stuffed the last bite of waffle in his mouth and started after her. He had only gone a few feet when he stopped in mid-air and turned around to wait for Pepper. Oddly, he couldn't stand the thought of having her too far from him.

"Come on," he called impatiently. "Don't you want to find a Twinkle?"

Pepper brushed off the crumbs from her dress and flew to join Salt. She looked up into the sky, only a few stars left in the morning light.

"I think... I think there is a Twinkle up there," she told him.

"There's nothing up there but stars, Pepper." He didn't sound convinced, but they both looked up at the sky.

"Come on!" called Sugar. "Let's hurry!"

Salt and Pepper hurried after their pink haired friend, smiling as once again they were caught up in her enthusiasm and joy. Just as they were about to enter through the classroom window, Pepper turned and looked back up at the last remaining star.

"Good-bye," she whispered.

........OlO........OlO........OlO........OlO........

Kagome noticed that Aster turned quickly away. Somehow she didn't think Pepper's good-bye was meant for her... but for the officer. Suddenly she realized that this was not an easy task for her, and some of Kagome's anger dimmed.

She followed the officer down the hall until they came to another quiet cell. Her nose told her who it was even before she caught site of his long red hair. Kurama always seemed to have the scent of roses clinging to him. She smiled. It was a comforting smell. She would miss it. She would miss his kind eyes and gentle ways.

"Goodbye, Kurama."

He stirred. Slowly he sat up and strolled to the bars groggily.

"We will find a way to keep you safe, Kagome."

She shook her head. "It's okay."

"Hurry, Miss Higurashi. Our time is limited. Say your goodbyes quickly."

Kagome nodded sadly. She didn't want to think about what she was hurrying towards. She didn't want to think about what was in store for her once she left her friends for the last time.

The young man reached behind his ear to pull out his rose whip, but he paused, and instead pulled out a rose and handed it to her through the bars. She took it gratefully, trying to not let tears fall. She almost laughed when she saw the razor sharp thorns and pointed end. Kurama had handed her a weapon.

"You are a very wonderful person, Kurama. And I will miss you. You work so hard making everyone else happy. You need to make sure that you make YOU happy too. You are a very important person."

He smiled at her.

"One day you will have to introduce me to that lucky fox kit of yours," he said. "I would be most pleased to meet your family."

"Of course," lied Kagome. He wouldn't remember her after today, or her family, or his interest in meeting another fox demon. Her friendship would be forgotten. "I would love for you to meet them." That, at least, was the truth. Perhaps meeting Kurama might have had a calming effect on Shippo.

She smiled back at him.

"We need to move on, Miss Higurashi."

Kagome glanced at the officer before turning back to her friend. "Promise me that you will look for your own happiness, Kurama. I want a solemn oath."

He laughed. "I promise."

Then he yawned. Then slowly he walked back to his bunk and slipped into deep sleep.

"The spell doesn't hurt him, does it?"

Aster shook her head. "No. He simply falls into deep sleep." She paused, as if deciding how much information she should share. Then she continued walking. "It is like a great nothingness when they sleep. No dreams. Nothing. Before they wake I simply erase all memories of you and your... adventure."

"How?"

The officer rubbed her head.

"Can... Can I see how things turned out for him too?"

Aster sighed, then looked up and down the corridor before nodding. She reached towards Kagome once more.

---{ ---{ ---{ ---{ ---{

Kurama shook his head. He smiled good naturedly at the teasing of his friends for falling asleep on them like that. Maybe he was more tired than he thought. It had only been for a moment... but...

It just seemed like he missed something very important. Yoko, the demon inside of him, was stirring. He was restless.

"So what about it?"

Kurama blinked at Keiko's smiling face. "I am sorry, I must not have heard you."

She smiled at him, making Kurama feel that his team leader was an idiot for ignoring the girl most of the time. Perhaps he should have a word with Yuusuke.

"I wanted to know if you wanted to come along with me to the movies with some friends." Her voice became light as she sing-song'ed, "Then we're going to hit the arcade."

His first instinct was to decline. He had training to do. Demons to fight. Fire demon to watch after so he doesn't run amok. And a team leader to keep out of trouble. But something in the back of his mind stopped his words. They were troubling because he couldn't recall actually hearing them before.

Promise you will look for your own happiness.

"I would be delighted," he agreed. He wasn't sure who was more surprised, Keiko, Yuusuke, Hiei, or himself.

"You ain't goin' off with Keiko alone!" shouted the spirit detective.

"This will prove amusing," said the fire demon as he vanished from sight.

Kurama followed Keiko as she scolded Yuusuke for his manners, and he kept an eye on where Hiei was following invisibly in the trees. Perhaps the voice was right. Perhaps it was time to find his own happiness after all. The question was... where to look.

"Where does one look for their own happiness?" he asked himself.

-Oh... I have some suggestions.

Usually Kurama ignored Yoko's voice. Usually it was certain to be up to no good. This time, however, the red haired young man decided to listen.

---{ ---{ ---{ ---{ ---{

Kagome blinked rapidly.

"You can't stop it there!" she cried.

Aster tried to keep from smiling. Her lips curled at the ends. "All you need to know is that he is okay."

"But where does he go? What does he do?"

"He will search for his own happiness I suspect."

"How? Who? Where?"

Aster shook her head. "That is none of our business, Kagome. Don't forget, the more you know, the more dangerous you are."

Kagome shut her mouth, even though she was fiercely curious. Part of her was glad that he took her advice though.

Wait...

He took her advice? But he was supposed to have forgotten about her. Forgotten about everything she said. Does that mean that maybe there was hope that Inuyasha would be able to hear her last words? Maybe he would remember when he woke up. She would get a message through to him!

Kagome bumped into Aster, who was studying her face. Kagome tried to act as if nothing was wrong. She brought the rose up to her face to smell it in order to hide the expression on her face. The hope.

Then she noticed the two sleeping Pokemon.

"I won't ask you to wake them," she said. "But... can I pet them one last time?"

Aster unlocked the cell, and Kagome entered. She knelt down on the cold floor and stroked the fur of the two Pokemon.

"You two are the bravest protectors," she told them in a whisper. "Thank you very much. And please... please take care of each other."

She hugged them each in turn, burying her face in their fur and trying to keep from sobbing. It was too late to keep from crying. She wiped her eyes and gave them both one last petting.

"I'll miss you," she told them.

"You don't have to do this," said Aster as she locked the door once more. "You won't remember them any more than they will remember you. There's no need for you to go through so much pain."

Kagome's lips pressed closed. Trying to speak now would just cause more tears.

"Would you like to see their future?"

She almost nodded. Then remembered that Pokemon were captured and held in tiny Pokeballs, only released to fight in battles. Was that the fate for her brave Growlithe and Evee? It would break her heart to know.

"Can you... can you take them someplace else?" she begged. "Anywhere else. They can stay with you! They are very sweet. And protective! And friendly! And they don't make messes! Please don't take them back there. You don't know what they do to those poor Pokemon! They live in tiny little balls and forced to fight like little furry gladiators! Please don't do that to them! Please save them!"

Aster shook her head sadly. "My job is to make sure that we interfere with the time flow as little as possible. Removing two creatures is in direct violation of the law. And for someone like me to break the laws of time..." She visibly shuddered. Then she looked back down the hall to where the fairies slept. "No. I dare not risk it."

Then the officer smiled. And reached towards Kagome. The miko backed up quickly, not wanting to see a trainer holding her friends captive.

"I think you might want to see their future after all."

Kagome bit her lip, then nodded.

^..^ ^..^ ^..^ ^..^ ^..^

Growlithe woke up and sniffed the air. Evee stirred beside him. He got up and walked a few feet. He growled at an approaching Trainer, determined to keep him far away from the evee. He had to protect her.

"Come on out, Pachirisu!"

Evee came up to his side and nudged him. She wanted him to take a second look. To not fight blindly. His nature was to attack, not to figure out strategies. She nudged him again and Growlithe looked closer at the Pachirisu. He cocked his head to the side. There was something familiar about it.

"Eveeee."

Growlithe nodded in understanding. He bolted to the right as Evee raced to the left. Instead of attacking the electric Pokemon, Growlithe leapt at the Trainer. More specifically, the Pokeball in his hand. Growlithe let his entire body slam into the Trainer.

The Trainer topples to the ground, thanks to Evee hitting him from behind at the knees. Growlithe chomps down on the Pokeball, crushing it in his powerful jaws.

"Ouch! Stop that!"

"Growwwwwwl."

"Pachi?"

"Attack Pachirisu! Shock attack!"

The electric Pokemon was slightly stunned. She looked at the fallen Trainer that was calling, then looked at the two Pokemon waiting at the edge of the tall grass.

"Eveeee!"

"Pachiiii!" The Pokemon raced towards the evee.

Growlithe waited until Evee and Pachirisu had passed before turning a smirk towards the yelling trainer. Then he turned and scratched up dirt at him with his back feet.

The Pokemon continued to run happily.

^..^ ^..^ ^..^ ^..^ ^..^

Kagome tried not to laugh.

"Did..." she smothered a giggle. "Did they turn into some sort of Pokemon vigilante group?"

Aster smiled back at her. "Well, these three will run across a couple other Pokemon you might remember. And they, for lack of a better term, created their own pack. By working together they manage to stay free of trainers and battles. And on occasion free other Pokemon who are mistreated."

Kagome wiped her eyes.

Aster looked at her kindly. "They live happily. And free. They spend their lives protecting each other."

Kagome nodded. Her friends would be fine. She would miss them, though it made it ache less knowing that they would be okay. Better still... they had heard her as well. She was sure of it!

She was still trying to decide the best message to relay to Inuyasha when they stopped once more.

"Are you sure you want to talk to this one?" asked Aster with a look of distaste on her face. "I could accidently keep him asleep forever."

Kagome peeked into the cell and smiled at the mess of long white hair. He looked sweet and peaceful. The description nearly caused her to laugh to herself. But it was too somber of a moment for the amusement to last for long.

"I'm sure.

An arm moved to over his eyes. Then his legs swung out and he was sitting up. His eyes took in every detail of what was going on in front of him, though he appeared to be moving lazily.

"I am going to enjoy killing you," he told Aster, voice dripping with venom... and promise. Slowly he stood and began walking towards the cell bars. Ever so briefly he glanced at Kagome before locking glances with Aster once more. "I will hunt you down. It won't be quick. It won't be painless. Your screams will echo for eternity.

Kagome's mouth dropped at the calmness in his voice as he threatened to kill Aster. To her credit, the officer did not seem the slightest bit nervous. Irritated, yes. Scared, no. Dayan, however, looked like he was going to shoot if one more word was said

"Bakura...

"Not now, Kagome."

"Bakura!"

"Do you MIND?"

"I can't believe I'm actually going to miss you..."

He turned to her, looking very grim, and somehow taller than she remembered. She could see that he was struggling with his temper. As he gripped the bars, his knuckles started turning as white as his hair.

"We'll get out of this, girl. I'll get us out of here."

She shook her head. Even if he could somehow escape, they would be caught. And what if they were right? What if by her traipsing across time she was messing up how history was supposed to unfold. She never thought she was hurting anyone by going to the past to be with Inuyasha. It never even occurred to her that she would change history. Bakura needed to be home. Bakura. How did HE end up trying to be her savior? She supposed that even evil spirits could have their moments. It was just a shame that he lived such a sad and solitary life. If only...

"Next time a hand is offered in friendship, take it, Bakura. Because I have a feeling you would be a friend like no other." She tried to smile. But it hurt saying goodbye.

"Don't give up, Kagome! These two are nothing. NOTHING!"

His hand shot through the bars to grab Aster's throat, but he missed by only inches. Kagome shook her head. He just wasn't going to give up. She supposed giving up really wasn't in his nature. Gently she reached up and touched his hand.

"Take care of yourself, Bakura. Everyone deserves to be happy. After all these years, you are given a second chance at happiness... don't waste it."

His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he dropped heavily to the floor.

"Bakura!"

"He's fine," Aster assured her.

"But he fell! Didn't Kurama walk back to his bed first?"

"Yes well... Kurama was polite."

Dayan laughed as he started pushing Kagome down the walkway once more.

"Don't I get to see his future?"

"What? You want to see him vowing revenge on some kid's ghost while they play cards?" Dayan asked, still obviously amused by his partner's likely uncharacteristically vindictive behavior.

Kagome ignored him and turned pleading eyes to Aster.

"Please? He is my friend."

Aster sighed, rubbed her head, and mumbled under her breath. She closed her eyes and her mouth twisted into a frown. Kagome watched as her frown slipped into a smile. Then the officer opened her eyes and reached for her. This time Kagome was expecting the odd fuzzy feeling as she viewed the future.

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"What happened?"

"He just fell, I didn't do nuthin'!"

"Let's just go."

"I can't believe you guys!" Something soft touched Bakura's face. "You okay?"

He blinked sleepily and his eyes began to focus. Looking down at him with concern was the girl, Anzu. What was he doing on the ground? He reached up to brush her hand away angrily, but his hand froze halfway. He heard a soft voice, gently telling him to take the hand of friendship. That was just stupid. She was not his friend, she was the Pharaoh's girl. And she wasn't offering her hand in friendship, she was just a soft hearted girl trying to help.

"Back away from him, Anzu! He's dangerous!" Suddenly she was yanked away from his view, to be replaced by his hated enemy. The Pharaoh looked down at him suspiciously. "What trick is it you play, Bakura? Leave her out of your schemes. You will not harm her."

Smoothly Bakura rolled to his feet and stood, towering above the Pharaoh.

"The girl is safe from me."

He turned to Anzu, looking at her, really looking at her for the first time. He didn't hate her. He hated her friendship to his enemy. What would it be like to have one such as her as a friend? Why was he even contemplating friendship? It was useless. He needed vengeance and power, not friendship. _Everyone deserves to be happy. _ Now where did that thought come from? He looked at her as she continued to watch him worriedly, surrounded by her friends. Didn't she want to be a dancer? Did her friends ever go to watch her dance as she goes to cheer them in their battles? Did she not teach that blonde idiot to play the game? Why did she not battle then? Perhaps... perhaps she was not as happy as she would like others to think. Perhaps she needed a friend to stand up for her.

_You would make a friend like no other. _

... maybe a friend like him?

Ducking his head he hid a grin. It was possible to have a friend. He didn't know how he knew, but it was true. How strange. Never before had he even considered having a friendship of his own. Was Ryo's weakness rubbing off on him? Maybe he hit his head too hard when he fell.

"Bakura... Are you okay?"

Slowly he stuck out his hand to her. "Thank you for your concern... Anzu."

"The fall must've rattled his brains," he heard one voice say.

"I think he's faking."

"Be careful, Anzu."

But the girl grinned back at him, and put her hand in his. Quickly he removed his hand, then threw a triumphant smile (baring of teeth) over his shoulder at the males in her group.

This could actually be fun.

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"You're just doing that to torture me, aren't you?"

Aster chuckled, then turned and began walking once more. "Why do you even care about him? He's not a good man, Kagome. He's borders on evil. A demon."

Kagome shrugged. "Even a demon can feel. And I have a feeling Bakura hasn't had much in life to make him smile."

"Still trying to change the world, Ms. Higurashi?"

Kagome opened her mouth to answer, then snapped it shut. Wasn't changing the world what got her in this mess to begin with? She shook her head. No time to think on any of that. She had to focus on what she was going to say when she saw Inuyasha. Her palms began sweating and her heart started beating hard.

Inuyasha.

Could she bear to say good-bye to Inuyasha?

She couldn't even imagine life without him in it.

But she had to have faith in him. He would find her. He always finds her. He always saves her. He'll remember her words and come find her.

"Where will you be taking me?" She needed a clue, somewhere for him to start searching.

"Home."

Kagome stopped in her tracks.

"Home?"

Aster glanced at her partner, then nodded. "Your memories will be erased." She bit her lip then continued. "All memories up until the day you met Inuyasha and trespassed into the past. Your family will think you've had an accident and have amnesia."

"But they'll..." They will remember Inuyasha. Won't they?

She kept her questions silent, but Aster answered them anyhow. "Every person who had contact with Inuyasha will have to have him taken out of their memories. He will simply be some boy you met one day. No one special. Easily forgettable."

Tears pricked at Kagome's eyes. Inuyasha was anything but forgettable. Just as she was wiping at her eyes they stopped. This time it was her Inuyasha who was lying on a cot in a cell. Only he was thrashing in his sleep. Moaning, claws flexing. It ached to see him like that.

"Wake him up," Kagome said when he continued to sleep restlessly.

A hand fell on her shoulder. Dayan was looking at her sympathetically. Aster's eyes looked downwards before meeting her eyes.

"He is too dangerous to wake. It is difficult keeping him under. We cannot allow him to wake up. Not until his memories are erased and you are long gone. You will have to say your goodbyes from here."

Her heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vise. It hurt to breathe.

"Please... please!"

Her clenched hand flew to her heart. The thorns from the rose she still held dug into her palm, but no pain could compare to this. Her breaths came short and fast. Her head began to whirl as she began to hyperventilate.

"Come along, Kagome," said Aster sadly as she pulled her arm. "This was a bad idea. Let's just get you home."

"NO! Inuyasha! INUYASHA!!!"

Kagome fought Aster's hold, struggling to reach the cell.

"Please! I have to talk to him!" She began to panic. Not get a chance to say goodbye to him? Never see him again? Never... "NO! Please! I haven't told him I loved him yet! He doesn't know! HE HAS TO KNOW!"

Maybe she could steal a key. Maybe the rose could help! It was a weapon wasn't it? Kagome screamed, kicked, hit, and squirmed, eventually getting one arm free enough to slash at her captors with the razor sharp rose thorns. But it was only her own blood that was drawn. A push to the back of her knees had her falling.

From the corner of her eye, Kagome saw Dayan nod to Aster. Then the world roared and faded.

"INUYAAAASHAAAAA!!!!!"

ooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

ooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Note:

I'm sorry if people found the last chapter (and probably this one too) a little confusing because of the time skipping. You didn't see Kagome and group go into the book from Fushigi Yugi, it just alluded to it. And in this chapter the transportation to court was skipped (trust me, it was boring... people just slept and/or cried).

Author's Note 2:

I almost thought about typing out The End right there just to be Evil Pixie Dust, but in the end decided against it. There will only be one more chapter to go. Oh, and I apologize for the inability to keep my tenses straight. It has always been my biggest problem, I swear I try! 


	13. Once Upon A Time

Disclaimer Part I: The characters of Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me. Aster and Dayandhi also belong to me. As unlikely as it would seem at first glance, this is a continuation story, not AU.

Inuyasha: A Fugitive Fairytale

Chapter Thirteen

Once Upon A Time 

"Wake up, kid."

Groaning, Kagome pulled her pillow closer and tried to block out the sound. There was a dream she wanted desperately to hold on to... if only she could remember what it was.

"Don't say I didn't warn, ya."

Pain exploded in her hand. Kagome yelped and sat upright. There was a little dog biting her hand! A very strange looking pug. There was something oddly familiar about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Before she could blink, the dog let go of her hand and sat down to stare at her. Looking a little impatient actually. Disgruntled. 

"Maaaama?" When did they get a dog? Couldn't they have picked out something cuter? 

"Can't stay long, kid. Just dropping off a present and saying goodbye." He stood up and jumped off the bed. Then he turned and looked at her. "Don't forget."

Kagome plastered herself against the wall, standing on her bed and shrieking. The dog talked! IT TALKED! Before she could squeak out a question it just disappeared. Slowly she sank back down onto the bed. She must still be dreaming. 

"Ouch!"

Something just pierced her skin. Kagome looked down to see a single red rose lying on her bed.

"Kagome, are you alright?"

"A dog... there was a dog..."

A cool hand pressed against her forehead. "No fever. Perhaps you had a dream?"

No. That didn't seem right. But it had to be the answer. Dogs didn't just talk and then disappear. Was it really just a dream? It was so realistic though, up until he spoke. There even seemed to be the smell of dog in the air. Still... there seemed to be something important about what he said. About not forgetting. Forget what? Or who? 

"What a pretty flower! Do you have a secret admirer?" As soon as her mother said the words, the woman frowned slightly, lost in thought. "You do have an admirer... I have met him? But I can't quite recall his face."

An admirer? That didn't sound right. A friend must have given her the rose, though for the life of her she couldn't figure out who. Maybe it was Hojo. He was really the only person who would give her gifts for no reason. Though a rose seemed a little too traditional of a gift for the boy. A bag of herbal remedies was more his speed. Or bunion pads. 

But there WAS someone important to her. 

Wasn't there?

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

"Are you certain we should be leaving, monk?"

"My dear, Sango, we have supplies and our weapons repaired and ready. There is nothing keeping us from hunting Naraku."

"It just feels like we are leaving something behind."

Miroku closed your eyes, nodding as he moved a step closer to the slayer. "I, too, get that feeling."

There was a sound of barking from the woods. Sango and Miroku appeared not to hear it, but Inuyasha decided to check it out anyhow. He was restless and needed something to do anyhow. Besides, in two seconds Miroku's hand was going to reach its destination, and he didn't want to see that fool get yet another beating. Following the direction of the sound he left his friends. He didn't find a dog in distress, but he did find an odd kimono hanging in a tree. Instinct forced him to pick it up. A tingling sensation caused his nose to itch. There was a scent. 

"What do you have there, Inuyasha?" asked Shippo as he leapt from Miroku's shoulder to Inuyasha's head.

"Get off me, runt."

Miroku and Sango turned to see what could have captured the fox kit's attention. His behavior all day had just been wrong. The kit cried for no reason, needing to be held, and being extra mean to Inuyasha. What was even stranger was Inuyasha's behavior. He was quiet, even refraining from retaliating against Shippo.

"He's got girl's clothes!" laughed Shippo.

"Shut up, brat." Inuyasha ignored the looks he was getting. The scent seemed familiar, but the clothes were unlike any he had seen before. It was a short blue kimono with a pink ribbon. Tucked inside the pockets were kunai. It was a gift, wasn't it? But to who? And from who? He bunched the fabric in his fist. He should just toss it away or give it to Sango. What use did he have for such an outfit? But the scent... It meant something to him, he just didn't know what.

"Don't say I never did nothing for ya," said a rough voice to his right. 

Inuyasha drew his sword, but there was no one there. 

"You draw your sword against me?"

Inuyasha's head began to swim. It seemed like there was too much going on. And he was missing something. Something important.

"Kikyo." He sheathed his sword and looked at her. There was something about her that he could not quite place. She reminded him of someone. But he couldn't figure out who.

"A strange spirit pulled me in this direction. Have you any knowledge of why I might have been drawn here?" she asked suspiciously.

There were eyes like hers, but warmer. A face like hers, but... smiley-er. A voice that was cheerful. A touch that was light. But that couldn't be right. There was only one Kikyo. But something about her just felt wrong.

"No. I don't know."

He turned from her and walked away. He had to find what he was missing. 

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

"You should be glad to be rid of that no good boyfriend," Yuki said as they parted ways and she waved goodbye.

The girls had talked about a no good boyfriend when they had stopped for a snack at Wacdonalds after school, but no one seemed to recall his name or what he looked like. She waved until her friends disappeared. The phrase 'no good boyfriend' just didn't sound right. Was he the one who gave her the rose? She pulled it out of her pack and looked at it. No, he wouldn't give her flowers. It wasn't him. But who was he? Why couldn't she remember? Instinct took her feet to the God Tree. She dropped her bag, stepped up to the tree and put her hand against it. It felt right. She felt connected. She felt like she had found a piece to a puzzle. She felt relieved. She felt a little panicked. Lost. Homesick. But that was just silly. She WAS at home. No... that wasn't quite right.

Home.

Home.

She had to get home.

She had to find her way back home.

The thought beat at her, causing her heart to race and her palms to sweat. Something tugged at her memories, but kept flitting out of grasp. She pushed away from the tree and began to pace. The more she paced the more anxious she became. She looked around frantically, but the only thing around was the tree, the house, and the old well house. The well house? But there was nothing there but a dried up old well. She wasn't supposed to go in there. Yet that is just where her feet began taking her.

Opening up the door she coughed. It was a little dusty. Though not as dusty as she would have thought it would have been. She looked around, looking for answers to questions she didn't really know. And she found... nothing. Just a dried up old well.

"Where are you?" she asked as she began to cry over the empty well and into the darkness.

Her grip on the rose became so tight that it drew blood. A single drop fell to the bottom of the well.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Inuyasha's heart froze. There was the scent of blood. Fear overwhelmed him. And that was just stupid. He dipped his claws into blood nearly every day fighting. But this time it was different. This blood was never supposed to be spilled. Everything in his being screamed at him to protect her. Ignoring the questions his friends called out after him, Inuyasha ran. Well, flew really. He followed his nose. The scent led him to the Bone Eater's well. Someone must have fallen down it.

It wasn't his problem. Humans were just too stupid sometimes. Yet, he couldn't move away from the lip of the well. He peered down into the darkness. It felt confusing. He felt sad. Frustrated. Anxious. Lonely.

"Hey!" he called. "You okay down there?"

There was no answer. The scent of blood was clawing at him.

"You need help?"

There was no answer, and that sent his adrenaline into overdrive.

"I'm coming!"

Inuyasha leapt over the side of the well, expecting to hit the bottom and hop right back up with the hurt idiot human. However, he just kept falling.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

The well glowed for a moment. As it started dimming, a figure jumped out of it, startling Kagome. A young man with silver hair and dressed in red looked frantically around, until his eyes landed on her. Gold eyes. And... dog ears? She looked back at the eyes. The familiar eyes. Eyes that were staring intently into her own. She knew him. She KNEW him!

Visions of bloody battles, nights sitting by campfires, demons, long walks, a jewel, and piggy back rides filled her head. She knew him.

Visions of piggy back rides, smiles, tears, a shattering jewel, guarding her, protecting her, nights watching her sleep. He knew her.

Suddenly it clicked into place.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome launched herself at him.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha opened his arms and enveloped them around her, holding her close. He smelled tears, for a moment he thought they might be his.

Memories of how they met, their journeys together, the pain, the joy, the one shared kiss. The memories flooded them, making them a little dizzy. They remembered the Pokemon, the fairies, the trips through dimensions. They remembered their lives together. They remembered that moment when they thought they had lost each other for good.

"They put me to sleep, but I heard you calling for me. I couldn't wake up. I tried, Kagome. I..."

"its okay, Inuyasha. Everything is okay."

"I'll never let you go, again." His arms tightened around her. His head buried in her hair.

She smiled into his robes. Then she gently pushed away. His hands remained on her arms, reluctant to let go of the contact. She opened her mouth to speak, then he panicked and scooped her up, taking her back down the well. She let out an "Eeep!" as they fell through time. He had something important to tell her, and he wasn't saying it in a dusty old well house where her kid brother was bound to come in, or the grandpa come nosing around, or the mother. He had to say it before he lost his nerve. Whatever Kagome had to say would just have to wait. He had to tell her.

They reached the edge of the well, then Inuyasha pushed off and bounded into the God Tree. He jumped from branch to branch, higher and higher until he felt they were high enough that no one was going to hear him. Or interrupt him.

Hearts thudded loudly as they sat side by side. They smiled at each other, hands still touching.

"I love you."

Kagome and Inuyasha blushed, the words were spoken in unison.

Inuyasha bent his head, touching his forehead to hers.

"I mean it, Kagome. I love you. And I'll never let anything or anyone take you from me again."

"I love you, Inuyasha. And I'll never let anyone take you from me, either."

He chuckled at that. "No one could."

She looked up and smiled, then slowly their lips met. 

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"Aw, c'mon, Az, you can't leave it there!"

Aster grinned.

"You should be grateful I let you see anything at all, Pakkun."

"Hey, you owe me for leaving those clues. It could have taken months for them to stumble on them themselves."

She put her hands behind her back and looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about, dog. I did my job. End of story."

"Yeah, right." The pug snatched the little sandwich off her plate and gulped it down. "Take care, kid. C'ya around."

With a puff of smoke the summoning creature was gone, and Aster was left alone on the balcony. She looked out at the stars and sighed. A warm presence behind her made her grin. More than anything else, she was going to miss Dayan. He had been an excellent partner, and an even better friend.

"You're missing your party."

"It's a stupid party."

He didn't disagree. He wished they were anywhere in the universe besides at the party. "You really gonna do it?"

"No choice. You know the rules. Memory wipe or death."

"Will you remember me?"

She gave a little laugh. "Dayan, I won't even remember me."

He said some pretty impressive swear words, from four different dimensions. Reaching up to her tip toes she pressed a kiss onto his cheek. She only had a few hours left. There was so much she wished that she had done in her life. It just couldn't end like this.

"I'll wipe my memory, just as I wiped the memories of Kagome's friends."

"Yeah?"

She grinned. "Yeah."

Dayan leaned close to her and whispered in her ear as she pressed her favorite hair transformer into his hand before two guards came and took her away. 'Escorting' her back to the party where she would say her final goodbyes. Then they would watch as she wiped her own memory, leaving her a shell of a human. She clung to the words Dayan whispered to her. Her thread to follow back to him. Who knows? With luck her own story would be starting when she woke up. Her own fairytale. Her own Once Upon a time. She thought about Kagome, and visions of the girl's future played through her mind. Her very happy future.

No. She hadn't made the wrong choice.

So much happiness, so much joy. So many lives saved. The lives her children would save. It was worth it. Because she knew then, that it as possible to have a

Happily Ever After. 

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Author's Note:

I hope you guys enjoyed the story. You didn't really think I'd keep them apart did you? 


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